UT Chem/Biochem Dept

The 2002-2003 Beckman Scholars: Myrrh Sagy, DVM

Faculty Mentor: Professor Jason B. Shear Length of term: Summer 02, Fall 02, Spring 03, Summer 03. Honors & Awards:University Honors (Spring 01, Fall 01, Spring 02); University Cooperative Society Research Fellowship (2001); Norman Hackerman Endowed Presidential Scholarship (2001); Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Scholarship (2002); Baylor University Research Symposium Poster Award (2003) Where is she now? Graduated with Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry with Special Departmental Honors, December 2003. Myrrh worked as a research assistant at UCSF, and for Cellerant Therapeutics, and completed her DVM at UC Davis. Myrrh is now a practicing veterinarian in San Ramon, CA. How can I contact her? myrrhsagy at yahoo.com

Beckman research project in the Shear Group:

The Study of Dynamic Localized Processes in Cells

The ability to study intracellular processes with high spatial-temporal resolution will lead to a much greater understanding of cellular regulation and communication. High levels of organization exist within cells that are still poorly understood, and the development of methods to probe this intracellular compartmentalization will greatly increase our understanding of cellular mechanisms. At the Shear lab we are developing a method to probe intracellular chemistry in a localized fashion using protein coated submicrometer particles, or beads, and an optical trap. This method has the unique features of being able to probe intracellular chemistry with unprecedented resolution, and of being relatively easily adaptable to the study of numerous enzymes and substrates.