PhD Students
Mary Piaskowski, BS
MICaB Graduate Student
Email: [email protected]
Mary graduated with her undergraduate degree from Marshall University in WV in 2019. During undergrad she was able to do research in the fields of microbial ecology, microbiology, neuroscience, and liver disease. Mary then spent 2 years as a post-baccalaureate fellow at the National Cancer Institute working on a small DNA virus. Currently, she is working on determining a molecular target for an antiparasitic compound, and engineering bacteria to more of another antiparasitic compound. In her free time she likes to play Dungeons and Dragons, hang out with her dog-Axel, try new restaurants, hike, and play board/video games. In the future, she plans to adopt another dog, get more tattoos, and visit more national parks! Professionally, she first hopes to finish her PhD and then get a job in science, probably doing microbiology.
Lab Technicians
Alex Kolas, BS
Lab Technician
Email: [email protected]
Alex graduated with her undergraduate degree in Microbiology from the University of
Minnesota-Twin Cities in 2023. During that time, she completed research projects in two
different labs. The first project involved using computer programs to determine the
effects of different diets on particular bacteria of the human gut microbiome. Meanwhile,
the other project was about mapping the function of Herpes Simplex Virus-1 proteins
through the creation of mutant viruses. In the O’Connor lab, she is testing the effects of
different natural products on both Toxoplasma gondii and Cryptosporidium parvum
while also keeping the lab organized and running smoothly. She hopes to go to grad
school in the next couple of years to continue doing research in microbiology. In her free
time, she likes to sing, play video games, read, and do crafts.