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GRADUATE STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS Meet the newest members of our BcGSA Executive Board! The Biochemistry Graduate Student Association (BcGSA) at Virginia Tech was founded in 2017 and is affiliated with the Fralin Life Sciences Institute and the Department of Biochemistry. We strive to promote communication between graduate students, postdocs, and faculty members, and to foster academic freedom and professional development of biochemistry graduate students through sponsoring recruitment or orientation activities for new students, awarding travel grants for biochemistry graduate students, directing the student journal club, maintaining the peer mentoring program, and creating a cohesive and fulfilling social experience for graduate students. This group was elected to serve for the 2022-2023 academic year. Biochemistry Graduate Student Association (BcGSA) News GRA I TS Meet the newest members of our BcGSA Executive oard! The Biochemistry Graduate Student Association (BcGSA) at Virginia Tech was founded in 2017 and is affiliated with the Fralin Life Sciences Institute and the Department of Biochemistry. We strive to promote communication between graduate students, postdocs, and faculty members, and to foster academic freedom and professional development of biochemistry graduate students through sponsoring recruitment or orientation activities for new students, awarding travel grants for biochemistry graduate students, directing the student journal club, maintaining the peer mentoring program, and creating a cohesive and fulfilling social experience for graduate students. This group was elected to serve for the 2022-2023 academic year. Biochemistry Graduat ciation (BcGSA) News

HALEY MICHEL, PH.D. STUDENT PRESIDENT HALEY MICHEL, PH.D. STUDENT PRESIDENT

ASH VANWINKLE, M.S. STUDENT VICE PRESIDENT ASH VANWINKLE, M.S. STUDENT VICE PRESIDENT

NOAH LYONS, PH.D. CANDIDATE TREASURER NOAH LYONS, PH.D. CANDIDATE TREASURER

JOANNA REINHOLD, PH.D. STUDENT OUTREACH COORDINATOR

JULIA MONTGOMERY, PH.D. CANDIDATE COMMS LIAISON JULIA MONTGOMERY, PH.D. CANDIDATE COMMS LIAISON

JOANNA REINHOLD, PH.D. STUDENT OUTREACH COORDINATOR

SPENSER STONE, M.S. STUDENT JOURNAL CLUB CO-CHAIR SPENSER STONE, M.S. STUDENT JOURNAL CLUB CO-CHAIR

PAUL KAVANAUGH, M.S STUDENT JOURNAL CLUB CO-CHAIR

LAURA GIL PINEDA, PH.D. STUDENT DEI REPRESENTATIVE

CHRISTEN HUGHES, PH.D. STUDENT RECRUITMENT/ORIENTATION CHAIR

PAUL KAVANAUGH, M.S STUDENT JOURNAL CLUB CO-CHAIR

LAURA GIL PINEDA, PH.D. STUDENT DEI REPRESENTATIVE

CHRISTEN HUGHES, PH.D. STUDENT RECRUITMENT/ORIENTATION CHAIR

The recipients of the Spring 2022 BcGSA mentoring fellowship were Sydney Johnson, doctoral candidate and Kathryn Paasch, junior. Their proposal was titled "Identification and Characterization of Active Site Residues in a Unique Nitro-Forming Flavin-Dependent Monooxygenase: CreE." In Pablo Sobrado's lab, the pair mutated residues in the catalysis of a unique enzyme and have increased their mechanistic understanding. "This project has allowed me to see Kathryn become an independent undergraduate researcher, and to express her knowledge to the fullest extent," said Johnson. "Watching Kathryn grow into a scientist has been amazing to watch from my perspective!" "I love working with Sydney! She first introduced me to different instrumentation in the lab (as I had never worked in a lab before due to COVID) and has remained supportive throughout my time in the lab," Paasch said. "This project has allowed me to explore my own skills in the lab with Sydney's support." The BcGSA Mentoring Fellowship Award supports a deserving graduate student and promotes their development as a mentor. The goal is to empower the graduate student to develop a research project with an undergraduate researcher who is already doing research in the lab, and mentor this undergraduate student throughout the duration of their project. Fellowship guidelines and the application rubric can be found online on our website. The recipients of the Spring 2022 BcGSA mentoring fellowship were Sydney Johnson, doctoral candidate and Kathryn Paasch, junior. Their proposal was titled "Identification and Cha a teriza ion of Active Site Residues in a Unique Nitr -Forming Flavin-D pende t Monooxygenase: CreE." In Pablo Sobrado's lab, the pair mutated residues in th catalys s of a uniqu enzyme and have increased their mechanistic unders anding. "This project has allowed me to see Kathryn become an independent undergraduate researcher, and to express her knowledge to the fullest extent," said Johnson. "Watching Kathryn grow into a scientist has been amazing to watch from my perspective!" "I love working with Sydney! She first introduced me to different instrumentation in the lab (as I had never worked in a lab before due to COVID) and has remained supportive throughout my time in the lab," Paasch said. "This project has allowed me to explore my own skills in the lab with Sydney's support." The BcGSA Mentoring Fellowship Award supports a deserving graduate student and promotes their development as a mentor. The goal is to empower the graduate student to develop a research project with an undergraduate researcher who is already doing research in the lab, and mentor this undergraduate student throughout the duration of their project. Fellowship guidelin s and the pplication rubric can be found onlin on our websit .