Skylar Carlson
Ph.D. (Pharmacognosy), University of Illinois at Chicago, 2015
B.S. (Biochemistry), Florida State University
Learning is a collaborative process and successful exchange of ideas between educator and student. The role of the educator is to engage students in course material via podium lecture and complementary learning activities. The classroom experience is enhanced by a team work mentality between the educator and the students. Student and peer feedback are invaluable barometers to creating a supportive and productive classroom.
In my laboratory we utilize natural products chemistry and interdisciplinary biology (microbiology, molecular, and chemical ecology), to seek new bioactive molecules from Gram-positive bacteria derived from aquatic sediments, algae, cyanobacteria, and sponges.
The skills learned in isolation and structure elucidation are directly applicable to studying interactions in aquatic environments and will be applied to solving questions in chemical ecology. In other words, we will aid biologists who have identified that small molecules may potentially be responsible for an observed phenomenon (attraction, settlement, metamorphosis, etc).
The immediate goal of my research lab is to bring enthusiastic undergraduate and graduate students into the laboratory and bolster their understanding of the scientific method, research ethics, and potential to contribute to peer-reviewed literature.
My lab is inclusive of all skill levels and interests; from students who have never stepped foot in a research lab to those who are keen to develop their own projects.
