Researcher of the Month
December 2013
Christina Roman
Biochemistry major, Class of 2014
CSTEP & LSAMP Programs; MARC Fellow; URECA summer research participant 2012
Research Mentors:
Dr. Ed Luk, Biochemistry & Cell Biology; Dr. Cynthia Wolberger, John Hopkins Medicine
Two weeks before Thanksgiving, a strong contingent of Stony Brook undergraduate researchers
journeyed to Nashville, Tennessee to attend the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS). Among the presenters wasChristina Roman,a senior majoring inBiochemistry who was back for a second time—loves the event, and
has a gift for communicating her very evident passion for science and research: “No one else knows the answer. You have the chance to create new information. You’re
working hands-on. . . And you’re literally making science. It’s an incredibly empowering
experience!”
Christina has been working since February 2012 in the laboratory of Dr. Ed Luk in Biochemistry
& Cell Biology, investigating how chemical modifications help to disassemble nucleosomes,
the packaging units of DNA, during gene activation. She considers herself most fortunate
to have joined the Luk lab, which has deepened her motivation to be a scientist, built
up the skills she will need for graduate school and beyond, and kept her curiosity
alive: “I really enjoy the problem solving. I find that part fun. It’s like a puzzle. … I
tend not to be discouraged by failure.” Her research was funded in summer 2012 by URECA; and has been supported since then
through the Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) program, directed by Dr. Dan
Moloney. In fall 2012, Christina presented her ongoing work at the ABRCMS 2012 meeting
in San Jose, California; and last April, presented a poster here on campus at our URECA
poster symposium on “The role of H3K56ac on the eviction of the H2A.Z nucleosome at
gene promoters.”
At the ABRCMS meeting in Nashville, Christina’s talk focused on the research she did
this past summer as a HHMI EXROP fellow at Johns Hopkins University in the laboratory
of Dr. Cynthia Wolberger. In this 10 week summer research mentoring program (which
she learned about as an ABRCMS poster presenter last year), she investigated the role
of sirtuins, which are NAD+-dependent deacetylase enzymes that play a role in a range
of important biological pathways; and also gained experience in new protein purification
methods, in performing enzymatic assays, and in X-ray crystallography.
Early on at Stony Brook, Christina Roman experienced the benefits of participating
in the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP)and C-STEP programs
in Technology & Society — benefits which included an introductory research experience
as a research trainee in the laboratory of Dr. Hoi-Chung Leung in Psychology in the
summer 2011. Christina is a graduate of Lindenhurst High School where she was involved
in Science Olympiad and the Robotics Club, and was very motivated by her AP Bio teacher
to pursue science. She has maintained this goal, and now as a senior at Stony Brook
University, currently plans to look for a post-baccalaureate program or research assistant
position for the coming year, and then to apply to Ph.D. programs starting in fall
2015. Below are excerpts of her interview with Karen Kernan, URECA Director.
Karen: Welcome back from the ABRCMS meeting in Nashville! How did it go?
Christina: ABRCMS is a fantastic conference! This is my second time going. Last year I gave
a poster presentation. And this year I was selected to give an oral presentation.
When you go to ABRCMS, you’re able to connect with other scientists. And they have
an exhibitor’s hall where you can talk to representatives from graduate schools—you
find out how to apply, learn about the strengths & weaknesses of various programs.
. . And you can basically ask them anything. It’s much more informative than just
going to a graduate program website. You can also get business cards and fee waivers
for applying to graduate school (my favorite part!).
Do you have a different perspective – presenting this year, as a senior?
Yes, I can see that I’ve changed a lot. My perspective is a lot clearer. Last year
my objective was to figure out what’s out there, put out my feelers — see what science
I enjoyed. I ended up finding out about other aspects of science that I wanted to
pursue in research. And I learned about the HHMI EXROP program which I applied to
and participated in last summer. And so this year, because I had participated in the
EXROP program, I was invited to go to a dinner with HHMI funded scientists. It was
a great opportunity to be able to talk to the main speaker and to get to meet some
big names in the science world. And this time when I went, I was much more focused;
I was asking candid questions about the graduate programs. I can really see how I’ve
grown throughout the year with all my different experiences that ABRCMS introduced
me to last year.
Tell me about the research you presented at the meeting.
I gave a presentation on the HHMI EXROP summer project I was involved with in Dr.
Cynthia Wolberger’s lab at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. I was investigating the
substrates of sirtuins which were thought to be inactive. . . We have these sirtuins
that we originally thought were lysine deacetylases. But research has shown that certain
sirtuins do more than that: they can remove other kinds of acyl modifications. And
we wondered if these few sirtuins can do more than remove more just acetyl groups,
are other sirtuins also able to remove different acyl modifications? The sirtuins
we were interested specifically were AF1Sir2 and Af2Sir2. We looked at the structure
of AF1sir2 and AF2sir2. And we found that those have similar active site structures
to the sirtuins that other research has been done on, showing that they remove an
myristoyl group or a succinyl group. So I designed an assay to test what substrates,
what kind of acyl modifications these sirtuins would be best at removing. And as it
turns out, the hypothesis that I made from the structure of these sirtuins turned
out to be correct: AF1Sir2 is very good at removing succinylated peptide; and Af2Sir2
is good at removing myristoyl peptide.
Did you get any feedback on your talk? Were you nervous about presenting?
A little. But afterwards, the judges came to us and they talked to us about our presentations.
What I need to work on is slowing down because I sometimes talk too quickly. My positive
points, I was told, were that I was commanding, and assertive with how I was presenting
data; that I was conversational and relaxed and used animations well.
Was it helpful having previous experience in presenting posters?
Yes, definitely. Every presentation experience builds your presentation skills. It’s
not something you’re taught to do on your own, or that you learn in one step. You
have to go out and seek out opportunities to present your work, to get more practice.
Plus it’s fun. I find it’s a lot easier for me than writing: I can go off of what
I know, and speak with my passions about my work.
Was the project you worked on last summer related to the ongoing research you are
doing on campus? What were some of the things you learned as a participant in HHMI
EXROP?
The Wolberger lab is a biophysics laboratory. Up to that point, I had been working
in a biochemistry laboratory (with Dr. Ed Luk). So there were a couple of things I
had to learn, like how to set crystal trays . . . and some new protein purification
techniques. But all in all, it was building on the base research skills that I had
set up here. Overall, I learned so many things this summer! We had journal clubs regularly.
So I was able to get used to reading papers, talking about papers, and analyzing the
strengths and weaknesses of figures. I learned a bunch of new biophysical and biochemical
techniques. And I learned, about how to build on and improve my teamwork skills, and
communicate more effectively with my labmates.
Tell me about the research you do at Stony Brook.
I’ve been working in Dr. Ed Luk’s lab for almost 2 years now. I started out working
on a research project involving the 56th lysine on histone H3. We’re trying to determine
whether or not that lysine acetylation would contribute to nucleosome destabilizing
activities like recognition by chromosome remodeling complexes. I mostly focused on
optimizing the histone purification procedure that we had for the lab. I made a lot
of the histones that make up the nuclesome; I reconstituted the nucleosome with a
variant version of histone H3 that has a modification on the lysine ….We want to compare
the stability of acylated mutant version and non-acylated version of those nucleosomes
to see which ones would have a greater stability with the DNA and which ones might
react better with the enzymatic complexes. We’re working on some new methods for doing
this.
How did you find get involved in this research?
I got very lucky. I like my lab a lot... At first, when I was trying to email a bunch
of professors, I got frustrated that I wasn’t getting responses initially. So I went
to the main Biochemistry office and asked if they knew of any professors who needed
an undergraduate researcher, and someone mentioned that Dr. Luk had been recently
hired and might not yet have any undergraduates. Then when I met with him, he talked
to me, asked for my resume/transcript, and said we’ll see if we can find a place for
you. And it all worked out. I ended up doing research in the Luk lab –working on chromatin
and epigenetics, the subject which was exactly where my interests lie. So that was
a lucky turn of events!
What are your plans for the future?
I want to get more research experience in epigenetics. I want to get introduced to
working with SiRNAs because I haven’t had a chance yet. I also want to do more structural
studies because I enjoyed the work I did in Dr. Wolberger’s lab. I want to apply to
a post bacc first, or find a position in a lab as a research assistant or lab tech
for about a year. Then I plan to take my GREs and apply to graduate schools, and then
get a PhD.
What motivates you? What do you like about research?
Research is really interesting because it’s not like class where you sit down, read
a book, study it, and regurgitate it on a test or problem solve with the tools you’ve
been given. It’s more along the lines of: you think about a question that you want
to answer, you think about how to answer the question, and then you go ahead and you
answer that question. No one else knows the answer. You have the chance to create
new information. You’re working hands-on. You’re picking up the solutions. You’re
putting them into Eppendorf tubes. And you’re literally making science. It’s an incredibly
empowering experience!
When you actually get your data, and you analyze your data and come up with conclusions
as to why this experiment didn’t work but this is what we can try next and are deep
into problem solving and getting into the processes—it’s fantastically empowering!
You look back at yourself and you say, wow, I can do this. On my own. And I’m working
towards a goal. It’s much more rewarding than a good grade on a test.
What are your strengths in research?
I really enjoy the problem solving. I find that part fun. It’s like a puzzle. I enjoy
the grind of working towards a final goal. I tend not to be discouraged by failure.
And I’m very good at visualizing shapes. That’s why structural biology appeals to
me so much.
Were you interested in science early on?
I come from a very nerd oriented family. My father has always encouraged me to learn
and seek out knowledge. My uncles would take me regularly to museums in the city.
We’d go to libraries together. Learning was just how my family was oriented. And science
was for me an extension of this learning environment, and a really fun way to express
myself. In high school I had an AP Bio teacher who made a big impression on me: Ms.
Bruno. She was so passionate about biochemistry. She filled her students with an excitement
for biology and biochemistry that no other teacher I’ve ever had could do. She came
to class exploding with excitement. I still remember the first time she talked about
epigenetics: Wow, I thought. That interest, that excitement about science really
stayed with me.
Are you glad you came to SB?
Definitely. I realize what incredibly valuable opportunities I have had at Stony Brook.
After being involved in Dr. Luk’s lab, I was able to really get to know the professors
and how the research system works. And also, I really like that the student body is
so diverse. I find that fantastic--because I have made friends from all over.
What advice would you give to other students?
If you are a student, and you want to get involved in research, the first thing is
to get good at school because no research professor will take you if you have a low
GPA. The other thing is to familiarize yourself with the field you want to get into.
You have to read papers, ask questions that go beyond what is taught in lecture. When
you find a research professor that does research on a topic you want to be involved
in, when you talk to them you’ll be able to show your interest and say I know this,
this and this because I looked it up in a journal, or I asked my professor about
it or I find it interesting for these reasons…. Professors are looking for you to
have a passion for your science. So if you start feeding your passion now without
anyone telling you to, then the professor will see that you’re really motivated and
they’ll probably give you a position.
Another thing you can do is to apply to summer programs—if you have a good enough
GPA and personal statement, they’ll place you and then you’ll have a summer research
experience. Once you have research, it’s a lot easier to find other research opportunities
and to try new things.
Did you apply to a summer program early on?
I was able to get involved in research in the summer after freshman year doing research
in a Psychology lab– and even though it wasn’t directly related to my field, it gave
me exposure to doing hands on research and made it easier to get into Prof. Luk’s
lab. My graduate mentor had participated in LSAMP. . . The CSTEP and LSAMP programs
are great for getting you started, getting you on your feet. Paul Siegel originally
encouraged me to apply. He is fantastic. I meet with him about once a month. He asks
me about school, but asks me also how I’m doing in life — where I am, emotionally.
He’s a person that really made me feel like this school cares about me more than my
GPA.
It sounds like your involvement in LSAMP and CSTEP was extremely valuable.
I came in to Stony Brook with a different major. They had workshops and meetings and
classes to help us figure out exactly what we wanted to do. Through LSAMP, I had to
take a career development class and that introduced me to different majors/pathways.
And I realized Biochemistry was the best choice for me. They also had a mentoring
program. So freshman year, I had a senior mentor who taught me how to study for classes,
and taught me how to organize my time and prioritize things, so I wouldn’t be caught
in the sudden transition from high school to college. That was a really helpful building
block step. And then I got into the URECA & MARC programs, which have supported my
research activities and were helpful in getting me to make a name for myself. I’ve
been very lucky!