TSRC SUMMER INTERNSHIPS IN TELLURIDE

Colin Skinner, TSRC's 2011 Science Communications Intern, has an expansive interest in science and writing. His superb writing skills landed him the position from among a very competive applicant pool. During the 2011 summer, Colin also proved invaluable around the TSRC office. When two employees got seriously injured at the end of June, Colin steped in and took on a full-tim position with TSRC in addition to his science communication responsibilities promoting the Town Talks. He also contributed significantly, with his keen ear for language, to editing the SOFI brochure. While in Telluride, Colin also got the cange to get out into the mountains, summiting Wilson Peak and tracersing the Via Ferrata. He is currently finishing a B.S. in biology at the University of Wisconsin and hopes to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. His academic interests are highly varied and include neurobiologym consciousness studies, ethology, evolution, ecology, and conservation. Colin spent two summers while in college as a student researcher in UW's Summer Research Opportunities Porgram where he worked in a biological engineering laboratory helping to develop a new, non-invasive treatment for Alzheimer's and other nerodegenerative diseases. In 2006, Colin attended Carelton College's Summer Writing Program, a three-week course on writing academic papers. When not studying or lazing around on the internet, he enjoys playing ultimate frisbee, skiing freestyle, and sailing his Laser on Lake Mendota. His intern responsibilities include interviewing, writing, and promoting TSRC science outreach programs. We have invited him back for 2012.

Philip Straub, 2010 TSRC Intern, grew up in Boston. The son of former TSRC President John Straub, Phil has been romping around the office since he was four years old. He has worked with TSRC since he was fifteen, writing a variety of articles for the local newspapers. Phil's duties in 2010 included interviewing the speakers and writing all the PR for the Town Talk series.  When Phil was 16, he moved from Boston to Bozeman, Montana, where he lived in a yurt while he finished high school and pursued his passions, rock and ice climbing, mountaineering, and skiing. Phil attend the University of Montana, before transferring to Prescott College in Arizona, and if he doesn't set aside all of his homework to climb, will graduate in 2013.

Lisa Christadore, 2009 TSRC Intern for science writing and science communications, is a third year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Chemistry at Boston University working in the laboratory of Professor Scott Schaus. She investigates the molecular targets of bioactive compounds in yeast and human cell systems and is currently developing a microarray expression profiling model that accurately measures drug-induced gene perturbations and metabolic pathway disruptions. Lisa has served as Treasurer of Boston University Women in Chemistry  and recently joined the staff of the WhizKids Foundation where she guest teaches science lessons to third and fifth graders. Lisa graduated from Loyola College Maryland in 2006 with a B.S. in Chemistry and a minor in Spanish. She was enrolled in Loyola’s Honors Program for four years and inducted into the Alpha Sigma Nu National Honors Society. Alongside studying science, Lisa studied a semester abroad in Alcalá, Spain and traveled to El Salvador as a member of Loyola’s International Immersion Program. With a passion for the Spanish language and an awareness of solidarity, she volunteered as a Spanish translator for the Greater Baltimore Medical Center and a tutor for the East Baltimore Latino Organization’s after-school program. Lisa has always enjoyed reading and writing and developed an enthusiasm for scientific journalism while conducting research at BU. Lisa joined TSRC for the summer of 2009 to manage and write press releases for the Town Talks and assist with communication projects generally.

Mila Re, 2007, joing TSRC as an intern between her junior and senior years in high school  from Davis, California. She organized the then new Pinhead Punk Science program, helped with the Town Talks, wrote "Ask a Pinhead columns", and assisted Nana in all aspects of TSRC operations. Mila was brought to TSRC’s attention by Brian Fisher, an entomologist at the California Academy of Sciences and a Pinhead Scholar. Mila is now an undergraduate at Stanford University.

PINHEAD INTERNSHIPS WITH TSRC MENTORS
Andrew McCammon: During six weeks in the summer of 2008, Meghan Cain, Telluride High School, Class of 2009, mentored with Andrew McCammon in his UC San Diego lab for her the Pinhead Internship. She worked on Avian Flu inhibitors.
“We very much enjoyed having Meghan as a member of our group this past summer! She participated at the level of a good graduate student – some real contributions on the research front and a lively presence.”
J. Andrew McCammon, PhD, Joseph E. Mayer Professor of Theoretical Chemistry at University of California, San Diego

“I'm discovering a whole new ‘world’ of science and education. Honestly, the rate at which I'm gaining scientific knowledge and understanding is incredible - it doesn't compare to high school. I'm glad to be challenging my mind and entering a line of work that is very needed.”
Meghan Cain, Telluride High School, Class of 2009 

R. Stephen Berry, University of Chicago distinguished professor of chemistry, McArthur Fellow, and National Academy of Sciences Officer mentored Mesa Hollinbeck of Norwood High School at the University of Chicago, during the summer of 2006 for six weeks.

Mark Tuckerman, New York University Professor of Math and Chemistry, mentored Harley Hollenbeck, of Ouray High School in Bochum, Germany at the Ruhr-Universitaet, during the summer of 2006 for six weeks.R. Stephen Berry, University of Chicago distinguished professor of chemistry, McArthur Fellow, and National Academy of Sciences Officer mentored Mesa Hollinbeck of Norwood High School at the University of Chicago, summer 2006