NU Splash Biography

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KRISTIN JANSEN, NU chemistry graduate student

College: Northwestern University

Major: Chemistry

Year of Graduation: Not available.

Brief Biographical Sketch:

I grew up in WI and received my BS in chemistry and biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2007. In addition to coursework, I studied plant immune defenses and pathogen response for two years in the Department of Plant Pathology.

I'm currently in my third year of graduate school, working in the lab of Professor Rick Silverman (the discoverer of Lyrica!). My thesis work involves studying the mechanism of Nitric Oxide Synthase, a major target for therapeutics for neurodegeneration.

In my free time I enjoy wandering around at museums, getting lots of books from libraries, being outside, traveling, spending time with my feline friend Helix, and baking yummy desserts.

Past Classes

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S44: Molecules to Medicines in Splash 2010 (Apr. 03, 2010)

Ever wonder how molecules can become useful medicines? This is an opportunity to use what you've learned about chemistry in a real-world application! This class will be taught as an interactive simulation of the drug design process: will your molecule have what it takes? We'll take a peak into the world of pharmaceuticals and explore the process of designing molecules to be helpful drugs. We'll simulate several steps of the process including measuring potency and checking for toxicity and side effects. Then we'll explore designing a clinical trial and attempting to obtain FDA approval.