Kylie was a Master’s student in the lab from August 2014 until December 2016. She successfully defended her Master’s Thesis on Nov. 18, 2016 and officially graduated on Dec. 16, 2016. We will miss Kylie dearly and wish her the best in her future endeavors.
A few words from Kylie about her time in the Karr Lab
I joined Dr. Karr’s lab in August 2014 to work toward getting a Master’s in Microbiology. I decided to get a Master’s degree because I wanted to expand on the knowledge I gained in undergrad, further develop my skills in the lab and prepare for a career in the private sector. I was drawn to Dr. Karr’s lab because the research was based in molecular biology, which expanded on my undergraduate education in forensic molecular biology, and I would be introduced to numerous microbiology techniques that I had very limited previous exposure to.
My thesis involved individually substituting alanine for each of the ten cysteine residues in the transcription regulator MsvR, to elucidate which cysteines were involved in MsvR’s redox-sensing mechanisms. Although I focused mainly on my own research project, I often collaborated with other students in the lab and found the research environment remarkably collegial.
Overall, I learned how to become a more independent and self-motivated scientist. I greatly advanced my ability to think critically, develop my own hypotheses, and effectively communicate my findings. I count the past two-and-a-half years among the most challenging years of my life and also among the most enriching. I’m thankful for the opportunities my time in the Karr lab has afforded me.
