Biology major, philosophy minor: Long Island, N.Y.

Why Bucknell?

"I like the atmosphere at Bucknell. I can do science here and I can also involve myself in other things. I co-founded a jazz sextet since I have been at Bucknell and play jazz guitar at the 7th St. Café and Uptown on the Bucknell campus."

Academic Interests - Cell Biology and Genetics

"It was in Biology 205, Introduction to Molecules and Cells, when I knew I wasn’t going to go to medical school like I had planned. When Dr. Kathleen Page got to the topic of cell signaling, I knew I had to be a part of it. I stayed and worked in her lab the summer of my first year and I was hooked. I like learning about cell signaling and physiology. I am really interested in trafficking pathways.

"My favorite class was Dr. Mitchell Chernin’s genetics course. The whole course revolved around problem-solving and data interpretation."

Research

"The research I do with Professor Page involves feeding rats a high fat diet while they are pregnant and then looking at the effects of that diet on neuroendocrine signaling pathways in their offspring. We want to know if the offspring are at a higher risk for obesity and diabetes.

"Last spring, Dr. Page had a conflict that prevented her from attending a meeting to present our work so she asked me to go instead. I was asked to give a 10-minute presentation to the International Society for Pediatric Research. It was mostly M.D.s and they introduced me as Dr. Wessler. I had to tell them I was an undergraduate, but they could call me Dr. Wessler if they wanted to. I don’t think they had ever had an undergraduate speak at this meeting before. I was only a little nervous. I had prepared beforehand with Dr. Page and the questions were fair.

"I worked last summer as an intern at Einstein College of Medicine in Dr. John Backer’s lab. The work involved understanding basic kinase signaling pathways in nutrient sensing. This is important for understanding diseases like diabetes. I stayed in campus housing with other students. It was a great atmosphere. It was common to sit down at lunch and talk about science without someone changing the subject to football!”

Volunteer work

"I volunteer at the local elementary school as a tutor in the Bucknell Buddies program. I like seeing what it's like to get someone to learn at such a young age and getting through to them in a way that is meaningful to them."

Future Plans

"I'll apply to Ph.D. programs in signal transduction. Then I'll pursue a position that allows me to do research and teach like the researchers here at Bucknell. I really like teaching, especially when new people join the lab."

More of My Interests

• Biology Club
• Bucknell Buddies
• Jazz at Bucknell