Have you all met Dr. Emily Weinert yet?
Happy Half Friday, BMB’ers, have any of you bumped into our newest faculty member, Dr. Emily Weinert yet? I got the chance to meet her recently and she’s delightful! She even agreed to let us all get to know her a little better via the BMB Buzz. We discussed important issues like dogs and favorite snack food. Be sure to swing by her Lab Warming Party tomorrow, Thursday, August 29th in 306 Althouse from 3-5:00 pm. Snacks will be in 303B, because Weinert Lab plays by the rules, yo!
Tracey – Where are you from?
Emily – I was born outside Chicago but grew up mostly on Long Island (near Brookhaven National Lab) with a few years in Germany, and then bounced around the country for school.
Tracey – What’s a local food from your old stomping grounds that you are going to miss?
Emily – There are a couple taco places in Atlanta that I’m going to miss, plus the Buford Highway corridor that had amazing Chinese and Korean restaurants.
Emily likes tacos, we’re going to get along just fine.
Tracey – Tell me a little about your research?
Emily – My group is working to generate a molecular-level understanding of how bacteria sense and respond to the environment. In particular, we’re focused on a family of oxygen-sensing proteins that allow bacteria to respond to changing oxygen levels. And we’re exploring a new cyclic nucleotide signaling pathway that seems to be related to cellular stress.
Tracey – What’s your favorite time of year, and some things you like to do during that time?
Emily – Early fall, when it’s still warm during the day but the humidity has dropped so I can get outside and bike or hike.
Boy, did you get here just in time, Emily!
Tracey – Do you have a family? Pets?
Emily – I’m married and my husband Brian is an architect. And we have a rescue schnauzer named Sherman. We rescued him when he was 2.5yrs old and have had him for 4 years, during which time he’s gotten more demanding, but also snugglier.
I mean, isn’t that most doggos?
Tracey – What are some of your hobbies or interests that are non-science related?
Emily – I really like riding bikes (I used to race on the road and the track) and am looking forward to getting back into that with all the good riding in Central PA. And I also love baking, mostly because I love eating dessert.
Tracey – What’s your favorite snack food? (Super-important question, really.)
Emily – For savory snack food, chips and salsa/guacamole. But if we’re including sweets, then any kind of baked good with chocolate.
A scientist after my own heart, who doesn’t love chocolate?
Welcome again to the department and Penn State, Emily! And don’t forget to pop in for the lab warming party tomorrow afternoon! Let’s all give Emily a big welcome in the comments section!
