The Genetics Society of America and the GSA journals are pleased to welcome two new science writing interns to our team! Meet Sarah Bay and Kayleigh O’Keeffe; you’ll be seeing a lot of their writing right here at Genes to Genomes. We asked them to tell us a little about themselves:

Sarah Bay:

I’m a rising sixth year grad student in Emory University’s Genetics and Molecular Biology program. I study Sonic Hedgehog signaling, cilia, and cancer. My interest in science writing comes from a desire to merge my lifelong love of the written word with my passion for science. I also want to effectively communicate science to any and all interested parties. When I’m not in the lab, you’ll find me reading comics, amassing makeup, and annoying my friends by criticizing bad movie science.

Kayleigh O’Keeffe:

Originally from Long Island, New York, I am now a PhD student in the Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology program at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.  I am interested in understanding factors that influence plant-fungal pathogen interactions, and I am currently working to understand the population genetics of a fungal pathogen of tall fescue, a grass important to agriculture in the southeastern United States. I received my bachelor’s degree in biology at Amherst College in 2012, where I worked with Jill Miller studying the evolution of a mating system gene of Lycium carolinianum. Outside of my research, I enjoy rooting for the New York Yankees from afar, going to concerts, and attempting to learn the guitar.

Cristy Gelling is a science writer, lapsed yeast geneticist, and former Communications Director at the GSA.

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