NU Splash Biography

Edit this biography!

REBECCA RASMUSSEN, NU 2nd Year Biology PhD Student

College: Northwestern University

Major: IBiS

Year of Graduation: G

Brief Biographical Sketch:

Hi, my name is Rebecca, and I am excited for my third year of teaching at Splash! For my PhD research, I explore how E. coli control how much metal is inside their cells. If they don't have enough metal or have too much metal, they need to find ways bring in or get rid of the metal.

Outside of biochemistry research, I also enjoy playing flute in orchestra, writing classical music, and roller skating.

Past Classes

(Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

S406: Engineering with E. coli in Splash 2019 (Apr. 06, 2019)

You may have heard about E. coli outbreaks from food, but did you know that you can "design" E. coli to make useful molecules? We will learn some basics about E. coli and how to design genetically modified bacteria. Then we will practice creating our own mock protein molecules using the E. coli engineering process. You will leave this course knowing about some methods that many biologists and biochemists regularly use in research!

S376: Become the ruler over E. coli in Splash 2018 (Apr. 07, 2018)

If you eat contaminated food, Escherichia coli (E. coli) can give you food poisoning. However, most forms of this bacteria are actually safe. In fact, some types have played important roles in countless scientific discoveries. How are E. coli used in these discoveries? In this class, we will discuss the differences between the harmful and safe types, as well as how we can control E. coli by changing their DNA.