MoGen Undergrads Complete U of T Excellence Award (UTEA) Program

Celebrating Undergrad Excellence in Molecular Genetics

The Molecular Genetics Department is pleased to announce the winners of this year's UTEA. These outstanding undergraduates completed a 14-week summer research program, working closely with MoGen faculty members and gaining vital hands-on research experience. The UTEA boosts their studies and research career readiness.

Meet the UTEA Winners

Ally Bailin Wang
Supervisor: Gray-Owen Lab
Research: Dissecting the contribution of macrophages and neutrophils to H. hepaticus infection and pathogenesis.

Ruoxun Huang
Supervisor: Kathryn Rozen-Gagnon
Research: Understanding how misregulation of miRNA networks may influence ZIKV-induced microcephaly by investigating the impact of miRNA binding differences by African ZIKV strains on Neural Progenitor Cells' health.

Caitlin Holleran
Supervisor: Dr. Leah Cowen
Research: Expanding the GRACE collection of Candida albicans genome and identifying genes involved in its growth in alternative carbon sources.

Emilie Hildebrand
Supervisor: Andrew Wilde
Research: Investigating specific molecular events involved in cytokinetic defects in mammalian cells.

Carolyn Chen
Supervisor: Dr. Aaron Reinke
Research Focus: Elucidating the host specificity mechanism of intracellular parasites with a minimal eukaryotic genome

Congratulations to all the UTEA winners. A special thanks to the faculty and chair members who supported the process.

For more on the UTEA program and applications, please visit our summer research webpage.