Alumni Spotlight

Tori Barron

Research Specialist II
WiCell Research Institute
Class of 2005

Alumni Spotlight homepage

"As a Research Specialist II at WiCell Research Institute, I work with James Thomson and Ren-he Xu, both leaders in embryonic stem cell research. My work focuses on unraveling the mystery of stem cells. What is the cellular signaling pathway that allows them to remain pluripotent or differentiate into other cell types? What is stemness? These are all questions that can help us understand human development and human disease and also aid other researchers who are working with adult and embryonic stem cells in regenerative medicine. I also support our work with collaborators on campus, train them in qpcr, immunostaining, provide support for cell culture.

I also support our outreach efforts by volunteering at Science Expeditions and our Summer Camp for kids. It is important that people get the scientific side of the story and understand what benefits can be gained from this research.

Prior to the program, I had limited exposure to cutting edge molecular biology. The scientific communication portion of the program has been invaluable to me. I also learned a lot about manufacturing and new techniques in Drug Discovery.

Exposure to great guest speakers was riveting. And of course, studying the genesis of the political debate surrounding stem cells allowed me to comprehend the situation on an entirely different level."

Apply for Fall 2009 Admission