Peterson was originally hired to assist the technical staff with routine projects, such as solution preparation, but has since undertaken more complex responsibilities and worked independently on several projects. This year she participated in a project studying Parkinson's disease. Bowers says that during her freshman and sophomore years Peterson took part in the development of a Herpes simplex virus amplicon-based vaccine for Alzheimer's disease and "proved that she could conduct her duties with high precision, consistency, and with minimal supervision." The summer between her sophomore and junior years, Elise competed for and successfully completed a Danforth Plant Science Center Undergraduate Research Internship in St. Louis. "This research opportunity provided Elise with a different environment and scientific field in which to hone her experimental skills," adds Bowers. Other student employees nominated this year include first runner-up Christopher Meteyer '06, along with graduate student Sophia Ahmad, Lauren Ambrogio '06, Bethany Carlson '06, Elise Coco '08, Eryk Druszkiewicz '08, Karin Gasaway '06, Tracey Jean-Baptiste '06, Kaitlyn Nolan '08, Laura Porterfield '06, Breana Roides '08, Tonya Smith '06, Angela Stoutenburgh '08, Neethi Venkateswaran '07, and Erika Winkler '06.
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Student employee honored
Peterson
Molecular biology major Elise Peterson '07 has been named the 2006 Student Employee of the Year for her work as a lab assistant in the Bowers Laboratory at the Center for Aging and Developmental Biology. A 2006 Barry M. Goldwater Scholar and a National Merit Scholar, Peterson was nominated by Assistant Professor William Bowers and lab technician Michael Mastrangelo.
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