Hughes Mentor:  Susan Henry

Department: Molecular Biology and Genetics

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Meet a Cornell Researcher – Dr. Susan Henry

Susan Henry is the Ronald P. Lynch Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Dr. Henry received her B.S. degree in Zoology from the University of Maryland and her Ph.D. degree in Genetics from the University of California at Berkeley. She is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology. Dr. Henry's research is supported by a grant from the NIH.

Dr. Henry was recruited to Cornell University in 2000 to be a Dean and a faculty member in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. Previously, she was the Dean of Science and the Head of Department in Biological Sciences in Carnegie Mellon University. Her first notion when she came to Cornell was that she was impressed with the quality of the students and the priority set by the university to Life Sciences. This was because Cornell consisted of excellent faculty members and a wide variety of research opportunities.

Ever since Dr. Henry was an undergraduate, she has always been interested in working on membrane biogenesis. She discovered that there were not too many things understood about the mechanisms of lipid metabolism and biogenesis especially in eukaryotic cells, this was one of the main reasons why she decided to choose yeast as her main experimental organism, because it was one of the most tractable eukaryote with many similarities to human cells. So, she has been continuing her research on membrane trafficking and lipid biogenesis in yeast cells since her PhD at Berkeley, with the help of the two professors that sponsored her project.

Dr. Henry hopes that through her research, she can improve the scientific community’s general understanding of metabolism in animal cells, especially lipid metabolism as this is important to gain a greater understanding of various diseases caused by the failure of lipid metabolism. Moreover, changes in the lipid content of yeast membranes can possibly have some impacts to the aspects of Bio-fuels. Hence, her research may have applications to the fields of Biomedical Sciences, Bio-Fuels and even Metabolic Engineering.

During her free time, Dr. Henry loves to garden. She has always been a gardener at her own home since she was a teenager. She currently owns a Greenhouse, vegetable and flower gardens. She also likes traveling to different places with her spouse. Besides that, she is also fond of knitting, a hobby that she learned from her grandmother.

Dr. Henry looks for undergraduate researchers who are purely interested and curious about Science and would like to get themselves involved in a research experience. So, an undergraduate that looks for research opportunities just because they would like to create a more fulfilling and striking job or graduate school applications may not fit into her lab perfectly.

A Day in the Life of an Undergraduate in the Henry Lab

I am currently an undergraduate researcher working with baker’s yeast in Dr. Susan Henry’s lab in the Biotechnology building. In order to be considered for a research position in this lab, all prospective undergraduate researchers are expected to complete a yearlong training period in which they work as a laboratory assistant while familiarizing themselves with the research done. I became interested in this lab when I saw that they were specifically looking for lab assistants who would continue with research in the lab, with an eventual goal of completing an honors thesis. I did not feel comfortable at the time with balancing research and my courses, so this position was suitable.

Since my project revolves around the characterization of a specific yeast gene, many of the techniques I use are related to biochemistry and genetics. Some examples are reporter gene assays, Opi- testing and genotyping. Many of these assays involve long incubation periods, and there are always other experiments I could be starting while waiting for the cells to receive the proper optical density. Then again, sometimes the option of going home to take a nap is infinitely more appealing.

One of the major things I really liked about my summer research experience is that I had full control over my own hours. As long as I worked enough hours to be considered fulltime over the course of a week, it didn’t matter when I chose to work. In fact, due to the nature of the organism and my project, adhering strictly by a 9-5 schedule would have been very difficult. My research mentor believes in letting undergraduates work as independently as possible, so that they will learn how to manage their own time instead of having someone else do it for them. I quickly became accustomed to the lack of strict supervision, and one of the most valuable things I have learned through doing research is better time management skills. Students who are self-motivated and can work independently are likely to find research in the Henry lab to be a positive experience.