My name is Joe Swanson, and I graduated from UMass in 2020 with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology. During my Junior year I was the first recipient of RichCo Labs Student Research Award Scholarship. As a RichCo fellow I worked with several professors in their laboratories studying the effects of PFAs (Per-and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) on zebrafish. In Dr.Timme-Laragy’s lab, we focused on the physical effects of PFAs on different organs. With Dr. Karlstrom, I researched the neural development of zebrafish exposed to PFAs. In Dr. Downes lab I spent my time studying the behavioral effects PFAs had on zebrafish.
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I am still with Discovery Life Sciences, although we have moved to a much nicer location in Malden, MA. I am doing a lot of cell culture with human heptocytes to test for toxicity and enzyme induction with potential new drugs. I have also been working with liquid handler robots to try and automate a lot of processess and to develop a couple of new assays. All is going well and I am enjoying the work I am doing.
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ABSTRACT:
My name is Claire Fong and I am currently a senior Biology major at UMass Amherst.
As one of the first recipients of the RichCo Undergraduate Zebrafish Research Award, my research partner Renee Owen and I have spent two years of our undergraduate careers in the Karlstrom Lab, in collaboration with the Timme-Laragy Lab, researching the toxic effects of "forever chemicals" of the PFAS family on embryonic development in zebrafish.
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My name is Claire Fong and I am currently a senior Biology major at UMass Amherst.
As one of the first recipients of the RichCo Undergraduate Zebrafish Research Award, my research partner Renee Owen and I have spent two years of our undergraduate careers in the Karlstrom Lab, in collaboration with the Timme-Laragy Lab, researching the toxic effects of "forever chemicals" of the PFAS family on embryonic development in zebrafish.
I am currently working at MA General Hospital in a transitional research lab studying ultra- rare pediatric diseases. In addition, I am thrilled to be drafting the manuscript for my first-author publication characterizing ocular phenotypes in Multisystemic Smooth Muscle Dysfunction Syndrome, an ultra-rare disease caused by mutation in the smooth muscle cells throughout the body. Planning to apply to medical schools in the near future.
Thank You...for all the support in my early career. I wouldn’t be here today without the UMASS/ RichCo Laboratories student researchers program in zebrafish toxicology research.
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ABSTRACT:
My name is Renee Owen, and I am a senior Biology and German Studies dual degree student working on a research project under the RichCo Labs’ Student Research Award Scholarship spanning the Karlstrom Lab and Timme-Laragy Lab at UMass Amherst.
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My name is Renee Owen, and I am a senior Biology and German Studies dual degree student working on a research project under the RichCo Labs’ Student Research Award Scholarship spanning the Karlstrom Lab and Timme-Laragy Lab at UMass Amherst.
I am currently studying in Germany and transitioning from a Fulbright Grant into a Ph.D program at the same research center. I’ll be in Germany the next few years working with zebra-fish and investigating the effects of pesticide active ingredients on dopaminergic neurons with links to Parkinson’s disease.
Thanks to UMASS and RichCo Labs for providing the opportunity and funding to develop my research skills. I am so unbelievably excited for this Ph.D. research project! Thank You...for all the support in my early academic career. I wouldn’t be here today without the UMASS/ RichCo Laboratories student researchers program in zebrafish toxicology research.
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ABSTRACT:
My name is Diego Sanchez Rosa and I'm an undergraduate Biology / Pre-med student in the 2024 class at UMass Amherst. I'm the newest member of "Team RichCo", a group of 3 undergraduates working on a collaborative research project in the Karlstrom, Timme-Laragy, and Downes labs investigating the effects of an array of potentially toxic chemicals on the embryonic development, post embryonic growth, and ultimately the behavior, of zebrafish.
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My name is Diego Sanchez Rosa and I'm an undergraduate Biology / Pre-med student in the 2024 class at UMass Amherst. I'm the newest member of "Team RichCo", a group of 3 undergraduates working on a collaborative research project in the Karlstrom, Timme-Laragy, and Downes labs investigating the effects of an array of potentially toxic chemicals on the embryonic development, post embryonic growth, and ultimately the behavior, of zebrafish.
Currently, I am studying at the New York Medical College, where I was fortunate to have received a full academic scholarship upon graduating from the University of Massachusetts in 2024. Forever thanks to UMASS and RichCo Laboratories
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ABSTRACT:
My name is Karina Yee and I am currently a senior Biology major at UMass Amherst. Me and my lab partner Ezrina Seo, and two new RichCo recipients Autumn Whelan and Firdaus Muhammud, are currently recipients of the RichCo Undergraduate Zebrafish Research Award. Together as a team, the four of us work collaboratively on a research project in the Karlstrom lab and the Timme-Laragy lab at UMass Amherst investigating the impacts of Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), an environmental toxicant family, on the embryonic development on larval zebrafish tissues.
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My name is Karina Yee and I am currently a senior Biology major at UMass Amherst. Me and my lab partner Ezrina Seo, and two new RichCo recipients Autumn Whelan and Firdaus Muhammud, are currently recipients of the RichCo Undergraduate Zebrafish Research Award. Together as a team, the four of us work collaboratively on a research project in the Karlstrom lab and the Timme-Laragy lab at UMass Amherst investigating the impacts of Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), an environmental toxicant family, on the embryonic development on larval zebrafish tissues.
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ABSTRACT:
My name is Ezrina Seo, and I am a senior biology and psychology double major on the pre-med track at UMass Amherst. As the fourth generation of the “Team RichCo”, my partner Sr. RichCo researcher, Karina, and I have been building upon a prior graduate thesis, investigating the impact of environmental toxins on larval zebrafish development.
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My name is Ezrina Seo, and I am a senior biology and psychology double major on the pre-med track at UMass Amherst. As the fourth generation of the “Team RichCo”, my partner Sr. RichCo researcher, Karina, and I have been building upon a prior graduate thesis, investigating the impact of environmental toxins on larval zebrafish development.
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ABSTRACT:
My name is Autumn Whelan and I am currently a junior biology major at UMass Amherst. I am grateful to be working in the Karlstrom and Timme-Laragy labs with the support of the Richco Undergraduate Zebrafish Award. This opportunity provides the unique experience of approaching a research project from both a toxicology and developmental biology perspective, integrating multidisciplinary approaches to the experimental design, procedure development, and data analysis.
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My name is Autumn Whelan and I am currently a junior biology major at UMass Amherst. I am grateful to be working in the Karlstrom and Timme-Laragy labs with the support of the Richco Undergraduate Zebrafish Award. This opportunity provides the unique experience of approaching a research project from both a toxicology and developmental biology perspective, integrating multidisciplinary approaches to the experimental design, procedure development, and data analysis.
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My name is Firdaus Muhammad, and I am an undergraduate student at UMass Amherst pursuing a dual degree in Public Health Sciences and Microbiology, Class of 2026. I am a member of the fourth cohort of “Team RichCo”, a collaborative group of undergraduate researchers in the Karlstrom and Timme-Laragy labs dedicated to investigating the effects of toxicants on zebrafish development and growth.
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My name is Ben Tang and I am a junior biology and biochemistry & molecular biology double major at UMass Amherst.
As a RichCo Fellow, I work in the Karlstrom Lab studying post-embryonic brain development, particularly Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) signaling in the hypothalamus.
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As a RichCo Fellow, I work in the Karlstrom Lab studying post-embryonic brain development, particularly Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) signaling in the hypothalamus.
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