IIST Student and GW Research Days Honoree Amanda Harbison

Each year George Washington University hosts a two-day competition for undergraduates, graduates and postdoctoral students to showcase their research and to compete for awards and prizes.  This annual event is dedicated to highlighting the breadth of research and discovery on issues of major disciplinary, multidisciplinary and global significance being conducted at GW through poster sessions and presentations. 

The project focuses on the genome organization, in order to understand the molecular assemblies associated with the regulation of gene expression. Due to the size of the molecular scale, the challenge of identifying the proximity of DNA segments to one another becomes extremely difficult. With the use of a novel technique the DNA spatial organization can be reconstructed based on a proximity matrix. Photo reactive probes, mono-psoralen and bis-psoralen, are used to crosslink nearby DNA segments to generate a map of the genome. Through research, Amanda and Raju Timsina, a graduate student under Dr. Xiangyun Qiu, found bis-psoralen to be successful in generating interduplex crosslinks within the DNA structure. With this newly acquired knowledge, Amanda and Raju will use the GWPMC method with the photo reactive probe in other systems to determine genome packing and spatial organization. 

Honored to receive the prestigious award, Amanda also reflected on the individuals that supported her throughout her research endeavors. Particularly, the IIST program Director Dr. Sara Hooshangi who helped her network with cutting edge research being conducted at GW and providing her with the opportunity to work with Dr. Xiangyun Qiu. Amanda said that "the flexibility of the IIST program allows for professionals in the work force to gain experience and knowledge. The program has also allowed for us to meet with influential people and gain connections that otherwise would not have been possible."

Amanda will continue to pursue her work in cell biology, nanotechnology, environmental biology and neurogenetics, with the hope of pursuing a graduate degree.

Click here for more information on Research Days 2016 and a list of winners.

Presidential Management Fellow and SCOIM Graduate Isaac Hayman

Dear George Washington University School of Professional Studies,                                       

      Thank you for everything, and please know that I am humbled to be able to say that I am a GWU Alumni.

Very Respectfully,

Isaac James Hayman

Presidential Management Fellow, Class of 2013

Alumna Stephanie Hood

She's a 2010 graduate of M.P.S. in Law Firm Management program, a new business owner, a volunteer, a wife and mother of two and she believes taking risks and being open to change will make a difference in our life and also those around us. After serving as executive director of several mid-sized law firms dating back to 1990, Stephanie Hood recently started a new venture Traballo LLC offering operational and business consulting to small and mid-sized professional services organizations.

The reunion wrapped up with a Q&A/panel discussion from alumni and the program director, Dr. Sara Hooshangi. Alumni panelists Hassan Ahmed (BPS 2015), Stephanie Gomez (BPS 2014), Colby Hunt (BPS 2014) and Scott Tambert (BPS 2011; MS 2012) confirmed that working full-time and attending school was a juggling act, and time management was critical to successfully completing the program. They elaborated on the benefits of the cohort model, where students entered the program together and attended the pre-set classes each semester. This provided the supportive environment and motivation to complete the program, said Colby Hunt.  Once completing the program, alumni agreed that the skills they learned such as project management, communication through writing, and effectively translating difficult technology strategies to end users have assisted them in the professional environment.