Fellow:Michelle Sconce Massaquoi
Michelle Sconce Massaquoi graduated from Pacific University, Forest Grove OR, in May 2012 with a B.S. in Chemistry. During her undergraduate studies
she pursued research at Oregon Health & Science University as a Murdock Scholar investigating a rare genetic disorder, Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome. After her undergraduate education, she worked as a research assistant at the VA Portland Hospital testing potential treatments for Parkinson's Disease. Michelle is now in graduate school in the Institute of Molecular Biology at the University of Oregon. Her current research focuses on understanding how the presence of bacteria within the gut of animals impacts the development of the animal. Specifically, she aims to understand how a newly discovered protein made within specific bacteria promote the development of insulin-producing beta cells within the larval zebrafish. She hopes to learn how to take an interesting finding from the lab bench and turn it into innovation for the benefit of society. After the completion of her graduate degree, she is interested in pursuing science communication. When not doing science, Michelle serves as the President for the University of Oregon Women in Graduate Sciences that strives for gender equality in STEM. She also enjoys photography, running, and travel.
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