Science Buffs

From space missions to minuscule microbes, Science Buffs covers STEM research at the University of Colorado Boulder and beyond.

Founder: Jaimee Hoefert

Jaimee is a PhD candidate in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology.  She works in the lab of Dr. Rui Yi, where she studies the molecular mechanisms governing skin and hair follicle development in mice. Her scientific interests include non-coding RNAs and developmental biology.  She enjoys hiking, fishing, and dressing up her pitbull. Connect with her @JaimeeHoefert.

Editor in Chief: Alison Gilchrist

Alison is a PhD candidate in the MCDB department. She is most interested in developmental genetics and host-pathogen interactions. She enjoys reading, hiking, and trying to convince people that vegetarian food can be good too. She can often be found invading the personal space of other people’s cats. Connect with her @AlisonAbridged.

Senior Editors:

Zach Decker is chasing after his Physical Chemistry PhD in Dr. Steven Brown’s group at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Zach uses mirrors and lasers inside a well stuffed instrument to take quantitative measurements of molecules like Nitrogen oxides and Ozone in the troposphere. When he isn’t outdoors taking measurements, he’s probably indoors trying to understand them. Or perhaps back outdoors enjoying the mountains.

Gretchen Geibel is a PhD candidate in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology. She works in the lab of Dr. Min Han where she uses worms to study muscle-fat cross talk, or how genes in muscle tissue regulate metabolism in fat tissue. When not writing or doing research, she enjoys hiking, volunteering with the dogs at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley, and tinkering with fermented foods. Connect with her @GretchenGeibel.

Writers

Aroob Abdelhamid is a PhD candidate in Dr. Eleanor Browne’s atmospheric chemistry lab. She studies the atmospheric chemistry of organic Nitrogen and the resulting impact on air quality and climate. In her free time, she likes hiking, sleeping, and eating large tubs of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream while singing along to various hit pop songs. Oh, and trail mix. Aroob loves trail mix.

Bridget Menasche is a PhD candidate in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology. She works in Dr. Jingshi Shen’s lab, where she studies factors that contribute to T cell resistance and sensitivity of cancer cells. Her scientific interests include membrane trafficking, cell interactions, and the crazy diversity of life. When not in lab she can be found reading, cooking, and making paintings of birds.

Ryan Harp is a PhD student in the Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Department. He works in the Oceans and Climate Lab under Dr. Kris Karnauskas analyzing the interaction between climate change and crime. His scientific interests include the effects of climate change on society as well as science communication and policy. When not staring at his computer code from the lab, he enjoys exploring the mountains of Colorado via hiking and skiing.

 Nate Crossette studied the protein-facilitated transport of macromolecules into and out of the cell nucleus. He also has devoted much of his time to teaching physics as a graduate teaching assistant, and is interested in communicating science to both scientists and non-scientists.

James Smith is a fourth year PhD candidate in Chemical Physics working in Sandeep Sharma’s group. His research focuses on developing/implementing better methods to study highly multireference systems. Outside of science he enjoys cooking, skiing, and hiking.

Willow Reed recently graduated from CU Boulder this past May. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Astrophysics with a minor in Theatre. With graduate school in her sights, Willow is currently taking some time off to explore her field, including an internship doing solar research at the Royal Observatory of Belgium. When Willow is not looking at data on the sun, she enjoys going on adventures with friends, watching sci-fi movies, and playing with her cat.

Past writers and editors:

Roni Dengler is a former Editor in Chief and writer-extraordinaire. Connect with her @RoniDengler.

Amanda Grennell is a former writer and editor. Connect with her @amandagrennell.

Aggie Mika is a former writer, editor, and social media guru. Connect with her @aggie_mika.