Biology

Student Showcase

• Grad of Note - Makayla Weisbrodt

  

  Why did you choose to attend Tompkins Cortland?

  I chose to attend TC3 because it was close to my family and home which I struggled with leaving after graduating high school. Also I saw it was an affordable school and very pleasing place to get my degree.

  Who at TC3 had the greatest positive impact on your experience?

  The person who has made the greatest impact is Dr. Jake Jacob. He saw that I had the potential when I wanted to give up. Also Jasmine LaMontain who worked with me everyday, helping me to understand how hard work pays off. I am very thankful to have those two people in my life throughout my college chapter.

  What were your extracurricular involvements at and how did they contribute to your college experience/future aspirations?

  My extracurricular involvements were helping out in the biology labs and spending time with my service dog Bubba.

  What are your next steps after graduation (employment, transfer, etc) and how did the College prepare you for that?

  My plan after college is to get a nice job and then hopefully continue to get a degree as a clinical laboratory technologist.

• Grad of Note - Thomas France

  

  Why did you choose to attend Tompkins Cortland?

  Being from Florida, I get asked this a lot. I knew was going to start out at a community college, and I knew I wanted to move to the northeast. Tompkins Cortland stood out for the dozens of articulation agreements it had with four-year universities, and the biotechnology program, which became the biology associates degree. I actually chose to come back here after briefly going to a different two-year school that had a biology program that was much lower in quality.

  Who at TC3 had the greatest positive impact on your experience?

  The biggest influence I've had here was Dr. Jacob, who taught me the skills I needed to be a good researcher. His encouragement of my research projects allowed me to develop the background I needed to pursue more complex research. My current research project on borrelia immunity started with a joke I made to him about Russian dolls. I don't know how I would become a researcher starting in any other program. Our lab manager, Jasmine LaMontain, has also earned some recognition for all the times I've come to her with questions ranging from “can I make strawberry flavored brains?” to "where on Earth does this go?"

  The answer is yes, if you were wondering.

  What were your extracurricular involvements and how did they contribute to your college experience/future aspirations?

  I was involved with S.T.A.N.D. and eventually became their treasurer. I was also the founder and president of the Tompkins Cortland Chemistry Club. When I first came here I hated Chemistry so much that I considered changing my major to avoid it, but after taking Organic Chemistry, I fell in love. I want to make sure that there was a net in place to catch any future scientists and doctors that were struggling with Chemistry. It's an incredibly complex subject, but it isn't difficult if you know how to approach it. If I've prevented a single person from giving up on their degree because of a Chemistry class, it was worthwhile.

  What are your next steps after graduation (employment, transfer, etc.), and how did the College prepare you for that?

  I'll be transferring to the Harpur College of Arts and Sciences within Binghamton University. Once there I'll be pursuing a degrees in Biochemistry and Integrative Neuroscience. I'll continue my education until I have either a Ph.D., or enough research experience that I'm able to do my work without one. I'm excited to advance both academic and industrial research. I can't wait to see what kind of wicked cool stuff we figure out how to do. Keep an eye out for me – I'm just getting started.

• Tori Knapp

  

  Pursuing a degree in Physics at Ithaca College, Tori (right) has presented researched conducted at RIT throughout the country, including at the Conferences for Undergraduate Women in Physics at Princeton University, where she earned the award for Outstanding Research Poster Presentation. In 2016, she participated in a National Science Foundation (NSF) Research Experience for Undergraduates. She was chosen from thousands of applicants from across the country to take part in the ten-week program at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Laboratory for Multiwavelength Astrophysics (LAMA). The LAMA is one of RIT’s major research centers, created to foster the utilization and advancement of cutting-edge techniques in astrophysics.

• Michael Johnson

  

  Along with brother and former Tompkins Cortland student Alex, Michael owns the Bandwagon Brew Pub in Ithaca. In addition to graduating from Tompkins Cortland with a Biotechnology (now Biology) Degree, he also graduated from Cornell University.

• Andrea Acevedo

  

  After receiving her Bachelors in Physics from the University of Bogota, Columbia, Dr. Andrea Acevedo came to Tompkins Cortland as an ESL student. Shortly after graduating with a degree in Biotechnology, she was accepted into Cornell University’s Biophysics PhD program where she used Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) to study protein-protein interactions. During her tenure at Cornell, Dr. Acevedo was a NIH Molecular Biophysics Trainee, Co-founder of the Molecular Biology and Genetics Diversity Council, a Colman Leader, and a NextGen Professor. Dr. Acevedo is starting a Postdoc position at the University of Pennsylvania using X-ray crystallography to design new medicine in the treatment of skin cancer under Professor Ronen Marmorstein's guidance. To learn more about Dr. Acevedo and her accomplishments please visit her personal website  http://laacevedo.weebly.com/

• Rakibou Ouro-Djobo

  

  Rakibou Ouro-Djobo is a Tompkins Cortland Alumni of Distinction. Rakibou earned his BSc in Medical Biotechnology from SUNY Upstate Medical University and has made significant impacts within the scientific community. Rakibou worked at Berg Pharma as a Senior Research Associate, worked on projects in cancer research specifically in mitochondrial dysfunctions, and his work on mitochondria is now being translated into in vitro fertilization at Ovascience where he currently works a Research Specialist. Rakibou also cofounded iNERDE (New Education for Radical Development) Inc., a social enterprise benefiting the youth in Africa. iNERDE's mission is to provide African Youth the opportunity to discover their potential in STEM fields and fields that require high technical literacy. iNERDE's STEM Summer Camps teach African youth problem-solving, innovation, entrepreneurship, integrity, self-confidence, teamwork and the STEM skills needed to succeed in the modern world.  

  inerde.org

• Thomas France

  

  Four Tompkins Cortland students took honorable mention at the prestigious New York State Business Plan Competition - Southern Tier Division, for their business plan to fund, develop, promote, and sell Breath of Life. Breath of life is a sophisticated solution to the issue of treating pneumothorax injuries (chest cavity punctures leading to collapse of lung(s), which often occur in combat and in car crashes.

  The team, consisting of, from the left, Daniel Kim (Engineering Science), Thomas France (Biology), Clark Young (Entrepreneurship), and Alex Barraclough (Business Administration) completed in the Science Technology division at the competition held at Binghamton University.