News from Alumni
Visit the newsletter website, http://www.bio.fsu.edu/newsletter/feedback.html, for the full stories and original wording.
1970s
James E. Hall III, B.S. 1969, grad school 1970: I was a student in the Department of Biological Science during the latter '60's until 1970. I received a B.S. in Bio. Sci. in 1969 and entered graduate school as a student of molecular genetics under Dr. A. Gib DeBusk, whom I admired and disappointed. I didn't continue my graduate studies because of personal issues that had to be resolved, as I explained to him, but eventually used my biology training later in 1971 to attend an internship in Medical Technology, which I've been involved in for the last 37 years. Currently, I have certification as a Histocompatibility Technologist and work in an HLA laboratory at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago, still going strong at the age of 61. Our laboratory specializes in sequencing the DNA controlling the HLA protein structure to obtain donor and recipient HLA-typing information for transplants (solid organ and stem-cell/bone marrow). We've discovered quite a few new HLA alleles, since we provide our services to the Argentine bone marrow registry, which serves an extremely heterogeneous population; consequently, I've participated in writing several papers related to these new alleles. The professors who guided me and inspired me most were Drs. Loretta Ellias, Gib Debusk, Robert Short, Mary Noka Hood, and a graduate student of Dr. Debusk whose name I don't recall, but who defended his dissertation in English and French, a feat that astounded me then. I would love to return to revisit FSU, but would probably not recognize anything but the oldest areas of the campus. My best wishes are extended to the professors mentioned above.
Amy Gilboy Meide, B.S. 1997: After graduating cum laude in 1997, I volunteered with various ornithological organizations, such as the Atlantic Bird Observatory in Nova Scotia, Canada. From 1999 through 2001, I was a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in the Philippines, working on coastal resource-management issues. After the Peace Corps, I got my M.S. in Resource Ecology and Management from the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan, and I'm currently employed as the Land Management Coordinator for St. Johns County, Florida. This year, I was one of only 40 people selected from competitors nationwide for the TogetherGreen Conservation Leadership Program, part of a new conservation initiative of the National Audubon Society with support from Toyota. Fellows receive specialized training in conservation planning and execution, the chance to work and share best practices with gifted conservation professionals, and assistance with project outreach and evaluation. Each Fellow will also receive $10,000 towards a community-focused project to engage local residents in conserving land, water and energy, and contributing to greater environmental health. I plan to focus my efforts on improving and restoring habitat on the publicly owned St. Johns County Golf Club. With the help of volunteers, I hope to improve natural habitat for threatened and endangered animals, including eastern indigo snakes, wood storks, and bald eagles, on 3 acres of “no play” zones along the course. The ultimate goal is eventually to restore 25 acres, and this fellowship is the first step.
Michael G. Peterson, B.S., 1967; M.S. 1970: I'm recently retired from 30 years in the medical business (cardiac pacemakers and implantable defibrillators) and now living in the mountains of NW Montana, though we still have a vacation home in Florida. My most influential professor and friend was Anne Pates, but after graduation with my masters in bacteriology (under her guidance), I lost track of her. Congrats on the new building. Lots of fond memories at Conradi.
1990s
Kimble Frazer, B.S. 1991: I am one in a long line of FSU graduates (one of my grandmothers, both my parents, and three younger siblings all got their degrees at FSU), so it will always hold a special place in my heart. I got my first start in research at FSU, and the didactic and practical knowledge I received there has served me well over the years as I've built my own budding biomedical research career. I graduated with a degree in Biological Science from FSU in 1991. While at FSU, I did immunology research with Dr. Ken Roux there. I then joined the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP; an NIH M.D./Ph.D. training program) at UT Southwestern in Dallas, TX. I did my first two years of medical school at UTSW, as well as most of my graduate schooling there. While I was still in graduate training, my mentor moved to become director of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation in Oklahoma City, and I moved with him. I received my Ph.D. in immunology from UTSW in 1998 and transferred to the University of Oklahoma to complete medical school, receiving my M.D. in 2000.
I then moved to Salt Lake City, UT to complete my residency in pediatrics at the University of Utah. Following residency, I did fellowship training in pediatric hematology-oncology also at the University of Utah, finishing in 2005. During fellowship, I did research on RNAi and epigenetics in the laboratory of Dr. Bradley Cairns, an HHMI lab here at the University of Utah's Huntsman Cancer Institute. After finishing the fellowship, I joined the University of Utah's faculty as an Instructor in Pediatrics. During this time, I changed my scientific focus somewhat, and since late 2006 I have been using zebrafish to study T cell leukemias and lymphomas, and the epigenetic changes that distinguish them from benign lymphocytes. In 2007, I accepted an Asst. Professor position within the Dept. of Pediatrics, as well as an adjunct appointment within the Dept. of Oncological Sciences. I currently work in our Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology to provide clinical care at the University of Utah, as well as working on the research enterprise described above at the Huntsman Cancer Institute.
The Department of Biological Science has seen many, many new beginnings this year. First and foremost, during the early spring of 2008, we vacated Conradi and moved into the James E. "Jim" King Life Sciences Building, located at 319 Stadium Drive, immediately south of the College of Medicine. Its four floors house an auditorium, a 30-person conference room with two smaller "break-out" rooms, several 12-person conference rooms, the department's stockroom, the graduate and undergraduate advising offices, a study center for majors, the Office of Science Teaching Activities suite, two computer labs, a computer classroom, all of the department's administrative offices (except for a one-person "outpost" in Biology Unit I), a large portion of the department's shared analytical labs, and laboratory and office spaces for about 30 faculty members, plus their students and postdoctoral associates. Four greenhouses are aligned on the roof, enjoying unobstructed southern exposure. A catering kitchen facilitates receptions, and a comfortable and attractive open seating area is provided where students can congregate between classes. A scattering of smaller seating nooks with tables and whiteboards, as well as break rooms with refrigerators and microwaves, encourages informal interactions and lunch-time discussions. The photos here show details from the stone and metal mosaic floor in the lobby, which incorporates many biological motifs. 
A third new beginning is the launch of the department's major Integrating Genotype and Phenotype initiative. Associate professor 
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