Hegg Lab Members

Principal Investigator

Research Associates

Katrin Gaertner joined the group in September 2008 as a postdoc, working on biohydrogen production. Katrin did her PhD on regulation of terpene synthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana, a topic she already worked on during her master's degree, in Goettingen, Germany. Since she likes doing science very much and she does not want to end up behind a desk she decided it would be good to switch from basic research to a more applied topic. That's why she is grateful to have the opportunity to learn a lot about hydrogenases and working with cyanobacteria. At least they have a similar color like plants, so something is familiar...Besides planning and doing experiments she enjoys teaching very much, that's why she still dreams of working at a university, where you have the chance to do both.
E-mail:kgaertn@msu.edu

Graduate Assistants

Adam Cornish is a graduate research assistant in the Biochemistry Department. He joined the lab in February 2008. His current research goals are centered around [FeFe]-hydrogenases, enzymes that catalyze the reduction of protons and electrons to form molecular hydrogen. He is interested in the use of Shewanella oneidensis, a facultative soil bacterium, as a model system for heterologous expression of hydrogenases. Another area of interest lies in the use of degenerate primers to search for novel hydrogenases from hyperthermophilic organisms in environmental samples. Finally, he also wishes to investigate the pathways of electron and hydrogen transport through the enzyme. His interests include clean dishware, anaeorbic environments, and avoiding the fourth floor autoclave room.
E-mail:cornish5@msu.edu

Hui Yang is a graduate student in the Hegg lab. She joined the BMB department in 2007. She became a member of the Hegg lab in 2008. Her research is mainly about metabolic water and the use of metabolic water. Her projects are: (1) testing the oxygen source of metabolic water pool using oxygen isotopes; (2) investigating the proton flux during biological hydrogen production using hydrogen isotopes. She likes research and science. However, she also likes cartoons a lot.
E-mail:yanghui@msu.edu

Emily Harper is a graduate student in the Cell and Molecular Biology Program. She joined the Hegg lab in May 2008. Before coming to Michigan State she obtained her undergraduate degree from Hope College in Holland, MI. The goal of her research is to identify how heme A is inserted into subunit 1 of cytochrome c oxidase and to identify the protein complexes that are formed during this process. A second part of her project is to identify the transcription factors that regulate heme A synthase. Previous work in the lab has identified Hap1 as being one such transcription factor for heme A synthase but has also suggested the possibility that another transcription factor is involved in the regulation of heme A synthase. Emily's work will seek to identify this second transcription factor. Other interests include summer weekends at Lake Michigan, hiking, and chocolate ice-cream.
E-mail:harpere7@msu.edu

Yuxin Wang is a graduate student in the Master's Degree Program in Industrial Microbiology. Before beginning her graduate studies at MSU she worked as a technician in the Hegg lab in August of 2007. She received her B.S. in Biochemistry and M.S. in Genetics in China. Her work in the lab is studying heme biosynthesis, transport, and regulation.
E-mail:wangyux@msu.edu

Undergraduate Students

Saundra Hempel recently finished her bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in May 2009 and is currently working with Adam Cornish. Her research interests include molecular cloning of hydrogenases into vectors for expression in Eschericia coli and Shewenella oneidensis. Her experiences in the lab have left her well-equipped to approach problems from multiple angles and to develop her own experiments. When not working in the lab, she enjoys visiting the local Beaner's and supporting varied causes in the area.
E-mail:hemelsa@msu.edu

Robin Green is a sophomore professorial assistant working with Katrin Gaertner and is just starting his bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. His enthusiasm and passion for the work can be seen in everything he does. Outside of the lab, he enjoys studying, reading, and spending time with his new college friends.
E-mail:greenro6@msu.edu

Michael Zhang is a freshman assistant working with Shipra Gupta on the Heme project. Currently he hopes on attending medical school with a major in human biology. During his free time Mike enjoys sports either on TV or playing them. His favorite sports are basketball and football. He also enjoys hanging out with friends and going on road trips.
E-mail:zhangfa4@msu.edu

Combining work and fun