Unit 2 Scientist Summary

D’Juan Farmer
–
Stem Cell Researcher Postdoctoral Scholar Howard Hughes Medical Institute Hanna H. Gray FellowUniversity of Southern California
 
 
Dr. Farmer’s work uses zebrafish to understand skeletal stem cells. And specifically, I use a model of disease called craniosynostosis
to understand how the bones that form  our skull develop, but also how during disease, they become dysfunctional and fuse prematurely.The clinical application is how to best treat patients with craniosynostosis. And we think that the way to best treat
that is by understanding the stem cell populations that grow the skull bones. When we best understand these cells, we can then begin to ask how we can modulate their behavior to keep sutures at the right place at the right time. At a broader level, we want to understand how a stem cell population changes over time, and what are the distinct needs of a stem cell as an organ develops and matures.
 
 
See Dr. Farmer talk about his work:
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z25wXGY4eyQ&feature=emb_logo
 
 
 
 
 
More about the Hanna H. Gray Fellows Program:
 
https://www.hhmi.org/programs/hanna-h-gray-fellows-Program
 
 
Throughout this unit we have included some biographies of scientists working in the fields of study that we have covered in this class. We would like to hear what you think about their work, their story, and how it relates to your life. Please choose one scientist from the unit and write a short reflection paragraph in your own words (less than 250 words).
This is a reflection, not a test of knowledge. We are most interested in hearing why you chose the scientist and why their work is meaningful or interesting to you.

Rubric

Scientist Summary Rubric (2)