{"id":660302,"date":"2025-07-16T14:07:23","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T18:07:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=660302"},"modified":"2025-11-19T15:24:36","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T20:24:36","slug":"alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/","title":{"rendered":"Eric Wagner \u201997: From first-generation student to RNA trailblazer"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-embed\">\n<div class=\"wp-embed-wrap\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Alumni Connections: Eric Wagner &#039;97\" width=\"1062\" height=\"597\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/C-DIzuQASd0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The alumnus-turned-faculty member reflects on how his undergraduate years set the stage for his life\u2019s work.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":372,"featured_media":660392,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[42,41852,28152,18722,41912,37112,16072,41012],"class_list":["post-660302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-community","tag-alumni","tag-alumni-connections","tag-department-of-biochemistry-and-biophysics","tag-department-of-biology","tag-eric-wagner","tag-faculty","tag-school-of-arts-and-sciences","tag-videos"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Eric Wagner \u201997: From first-generation student to RNA trailblazer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The University of Rochester alumnus-turned-faculty member reflects on how his undergraduate years set the stage for his life\u2019s work.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Eric Wagner \u201997: From first-generation student to RNA trailblazer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The University of Rochester alumnus-turned-faculty member reflects on how his undergraduate years set the stage for his life\u2019s work.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News Center\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-16T18:07:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-19T20:24:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/fea-AlumniConnections_EricWagner_NChero-1200x630.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Sofia Tokar\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Sofia Tokar\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Sofia Tokar\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#\/schema\/person\/6e2aecfd2d62aca26a6a82e0f0153199\"},\"headline\":\"Eric Wagner \u201997: From first-generation student to RNA trailblazer\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-16T18:07:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-19T20:24:36+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/\"},\"wordCount\":17,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/fea-AlumniConnections_EricWagner_NChero.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"alumni\",\"Alumni Connections\",\"Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics\",\"Department of Biology\",\"Eric Wagner\",\"faculty\",\"School of Arts and Sciences\",\"videos\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Campus &amp; Community\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/\",\"name\":\"Eric Wagner \u201997: From first-generation student to RNA trailblazer\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/fea-AlumniConnections_EricWagner_NChero.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-16T18:07:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-19T20:24:36+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#\/schema\/person\/6e2aecfd2d62aca26a6a82e0f0153199\"},\"description\":\"The University of Rochester alumnus-turned-faculty member reflects on how his undergraduate years set the stage for his life\u2019s work.\u00a0\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/fea-AlumniConnections_EricWagner_NChero.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/fea-AlumniConnections_EricWagner_NChero.jpeg\",\"width\":2000,\"height\":1200,\"caption\":\"Graphic featuring a photo of Eric Wagner near a blue background that shows the University of Rochester spirit \\\"R\\\" and the worlds \\\"alumni connections: Eric Wagner '97, molecular genetics.\\\"\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Eric Wagner \u201997: From first-generation student to RNA trailblazer\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/\",\"name\":\"News Center\",\"description\":\"University of Rochester\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#\/schema\/person\/6e2aecfd2d62aca26a6a82e0f0153199\",\"name\":\"Sofia Tokar\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/author\/stokar\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Eric Wagner \u201997: From first-generation student to RNA trailblazer","description":"The University of Rochester alumnus-turned-faculty member reflects on how his undergraduate years set the stage for his life\u2019s work.\u00a0","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Eric Wagner \u201997: From first-generation student to RNA trailblazer","og_description":"The University of Rochester alumnus-turned-faculty member reflects on how his undergraduate years set the stage for his life\u2019s work.\u00a0","og_url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/","og_site_name":"News Center","article_published_time":"2025-07-16T18:07:23+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-11-19T20:24:36+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/fea-AlumniConnections_EricWagner_NChero-1200x630.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Sofia Tokar","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Sofia Tokar","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/"},"author":{"name":"Sofia Tokar","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#\/schema\/person\/6e2aecfd2d62aca26a6a82e0f0153199"},"headline":"Eric Wagner \u201997: From first-generation student to RNA trailblazer","datePublished":"2025-07-16T18:07:23+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-19T20:24:36+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/"},"wordCount":17,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/fea-AlumniConnections_EricWagner_NChero.jpeg","keywords":["alumni","Alumni Connections","Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics","Department of Biology","Eric Wagner","faculty","School of Arts and Sciences","videos"],"articleSection":["Campus &amp; Community"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/","name":"Eric Wagner \u201997: From first-generation student to RNA trailblazer","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/fea-AlumniConnections_EricWagner_NChero.jpeg","datePublished":"2025-07-16T18:07:23+00:00","dateModified":"2025-11-19T20:24:36+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#\/schema\/person\/6e2aecfd2d62aca26a6a82e0f0153199"},"description":"The University of Rochester alumnus-turned-faculty member reflects on how his undergraduate years set the stage for his life\u2019s work.\u00a0","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/fea-AlumniConnections_EricWagner_NChero.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/fea-AlumniConnections_EricWagner_NChero.jpeg","width":2000,"height":1200,"caption":"Graphic featuring a photo of Eric Wagner near a blue background that shows the University of Rochester spirit \"R\" and the worlds \"alumni connections: Eric Wagner '97, molecular genetics.\""},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/alumni-connections-eric-wagner-first-generation-rna-trailblazer-660302\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Eric Wagner \u201997: From first-generation student to RNA trailblazer"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/","name":"News Center","description":"University of Rochester","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/#\/schema\/person\/6e2aecfd2d62aca26a6a82e0f0153199","name":"Sofia Tokar","url":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/author\/stokar\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/660302","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/372"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=660302"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/660302\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":672052,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/660302\/revisions\/672052"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/660392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=660302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=660302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=660302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}