People

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The Ralston Lab
Current Lab Members
Amy Ralston, Ph.D Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Associate Dean for Graduate Studies Email: aralston@msu.edu Phone: 517-432-8743 (full contact info here)
Michael Halbisen Research Associate, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, MSU PIAFDS (2014-present) CIRM Postdoctoral Scholar (2010-2013) Email: halbisen@msu.edu Phone: 517-353-9585
Shannon Walsh Research Associate, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, MSU Email: walshver@msu.edu Phone: 517-353-9585
Robin Kruger Postdoctoral Researcher, Cell and Molecular Biology, MSU Society for Developmental Biology Annual Meeting Best Student Poster Semi-Finalist (July 2020) Reproductive and Developmental Biology Annual Research Day Best Oral Presentation Award – 1st place (April 2022) President, Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program (May 2022-August 2023) Community Outreach Chair, Graduate Women In Science Mid-Michigan (August 2021-August 2023) Co-Chair, MSU Student Faculty Staff Hearing Board (Sept 2020 - Present) NIH Graduate Trainee, Reproductive and Developmental Sciences Program (2019-2021) CMB Research Prize (2020) Email: seayrobi@msu.edu Phone: 517-353-9585
Farina Aziz Graduate Student, Cell and Molecular Biology, MSU Cell and Molecular Biology Research Prize, 2023 DEI coordinator, Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Student Organization (August 2022-Present) COGS representative, Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Student Organization (August 2023-Present) Community Outreach Co-Chair, Graduate Women in Science Mid-Michigan (August 2022-Present) Email: azizfari@msu.edu Phone: 517-353-9585
Marcelio Shammami Graduate Student, Genetics and Genome Sciences, MSU NIH Graduate Trainee, Reproductive and Developmental Sciences Program (2023-present) Email: shammam7@msu.edu Phone: 517-353-9585
Ian McCray Graduate Student, Cell and Molecular Biology, MSU Email: mccraryi@msu.edu Phone: 517-353-9585
Alyssa Virola-Iarussi Graduate Student, Genetics and Genome Sciences, MSU Email: virolaia@msu.edu Phone: 517-353-9585
Ella Markley Undergraduate Researcher, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, MSU Email: markleye@msu.edu Phone: 517-353-9585
Barb Makela Lab Technician, Animal Sciences, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, MSU Email: makelaba@msu.edu Phone: 517-353-9585
Lab Alumni Talyer Murphy (Graduate Researcher, 2017 - 2023)¹ Dan O'Hagan (Research Specialist, 2019 - 2022) Jenn Watts^1,8,14,15,16 (Graduate Researcher, 2016 - 2021) Alex Moauro (Graduate Researcher and DO student, 2015 - 2022) Anahga Kramadhati¹² (Undergraduate Researcher, 2018 - 2019) Madison Noom (Undergraduate Researcher, 2017 - 2018) Kayla Matheny (Undergraduate Researcher, 2017 - 2018) Taylor Arnason (Undergraduate Researcher, 2017 - 2018) Carlos Ferran-Herida (Undergraduate Researcher, 2017 - 2019) Allie Rochon (Undergraduate Researcher, 2017 - 2018) Eli Falk¹² (Undergraduate Researcher, 2016-2018) Hannah Guider¹² (Undergraduate Researcher, 2016-2018) MSU College of Human Medicine, Grand Rapids and East Lansing, MI Matthew Walny (Undergraduate Researcher, 2015 - 2018) Miranda Rogers (Research Specialist, 2016- 2017) Allie Mohr (Undergraduate Researcher, 2016 - 2017) Mary Alsheikh (Undergraduate Researcher, 2016 - 2017) Sreya Modepalli (Undergraduate Researcher, 2016 - 2017) Feng Xie (Postdoctoral Fellow, 2016 - 2017) Will Garcia (Undergraduate Researcher, 2015-2016) University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry, Detroit, MI Blake Geraltowski (Undergraduate Researcher, 2015-2016) Patty Glover (Undergraduate Researcher, 2015-2016) Jamie Maurice⁵ (Undergraduate Researcher, 2014-2016) Wayne State University Pathologists Assistant Program, Detroit, MI Allyson Lokken^8,10,11 (Postdoctoral Fellow, 2014- 2017) Heidi Molga (Honor's Thesis, 2013-2014) Roberto Lopez-Cervera⁴ (Undergraduate Researcher, 2013 - 2014) Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education Post Baccalaureate Research Education Program, Minneapolis, MN Amit Weiss (Undergraduate Researcher and Research Specialist, 2012 - 2014) UC Berkeley Graduate Program in Molecular and Cell Biology, Berkeley, CA Leesa Hogan Hatfield² (Undergraduate Summer Researcher, 2013) Gavilan College, Gilroy, CA Margaret Donovan³ (Undergraduate Researcher, 2012 - 2013) Illumina, Inc., San Diego, CA Eryn Wicklow (Undergraduate Researcher and Research Specialist, 2011 - 2013) UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA Neeloufar Tabatabai-Yazdi (Undergraduate Researcher, 2011 - 2013) Andrea Quinones-Rivera (Undergraduate Researcher, 2011-2012) UC San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA Sophia Petraki² (Undergraduate Researcher, 2011-2012) Anthony Parenti^6,7,8,9 (Doctoral Student, 2010 - 2016) UC Davis School of Law, Davis , CA Tiffani Medina (Research Specialist, 2010 - 2011) Andrew Forster (Undergraduate Researcher, 2010) Tristan Frum^1,6,8,10,13 (Doctoral Student, 2019 - 2014; Postdoctoral Fellow, 2014-2019) University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI Stephanie Blij¹ (Doctoral Student, 2009 - 2014) UC Hastings College of Law, San Francisco , CA Lane Sharon (Research Specialist, 2009 - 2010) Aliye Sarmasik (Research Specialist, 2009 - 2010) ¹NIH Graduate Trainee ²SACNAS Travel Award Recipient ³Dean's Undergraduate Thesis Award Recipient ⁴Undergraduate Research Award Recipient ⁵BMB Undergraduate Research Fellowship Award Recipient ⁶CIRM Sholar ⁷CIRM SCILL Program ⁸Poster Prize Recipient ⁹BMB Outstanding Graduate Student Research Award Recipient ¹⁰Travel Award Recipient ¹¹NIH NICHD Loan Repayment Program ¹²Lyman Briggs College, MSU ¹³Best Oral Presentation Prize Recipient ¹⁴BMB Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award ¹⁵Graduate Facilitator, Summer Research Opportunities Program ¹⁶National Member, Graduate Women in Science ¹⁷Alliance for Graduate Education and Professoriate