Hansen Lab
-For the past three years, I have worked in the UO Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry to study how immune cells interpret and respond to chemical cues in their environment. At the molecular level, I am analyzing how feedback loops drive the communication between phosphatidylinositol phosphate (PIP) lipids, PIP kinases, PIP phosphatases, and Rho-family GTPases at the plasma membrane. Currently, I am studying how feedback modules involving the PI3K enzyme are formed at the plasma membrane to better understand the molecular basis for human diseases such as cancer. To this end, I utilize light-regulated (or optogenetic) protein interactions to rapidly change the localization and activity of these signaling molecules in cells. I have also developed an assay to reconstitute these biochemical reactions on a supported lipid bilayer.Cayuse 5
-Over two terms in a UO Clark Honors College course, I searched for the burial sites of five Native American men who were executed in 1850. We sought to bring closure and recognition to this tragic event by supporting the burial of the Cayuse 5 in their native homeland.Environmental Justice
-Images by Mabette Colón Pérez.