Resume

Moriah Mitchell

4400 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20016 • moriah.m.mitchell@gmail.com

Education

Dual Degrees in Biology & Mathematical Epidemiology                                                                                              May 2019
American University                                                                                                                                                Washington, DC
Minor: Chemistry
Honors in Biology Program
Cumulative GPA: 3.97/4.00
Major GPAs: 3.99/4.00 & 4.00/4.00

Research Experience

Computational Modeling of Iron Dynamics in Breast Epithelial Cells                                 
May 2018-Present
Advisors: Julia Chifman, American University; Reinhard Laubenbacher, UConn Health; Luis Sordo Vieira, JAX Genomic Medicine

  • Review literature and synthesize information to expand existing network for iron metabolism and oncogenic pathways in breast cancer epithelial cells to include estrogen receptor signaling and cell cycle regulation through addition of 20 nodes and numerous connections
  • Collaborate with advisors and team of students working on different pathways to solve problems
  • Illustrate network in CellDesigner and translate into logical functions for use in simulations
    • Model can be used to predict the effect of changes in levels of included reaction species on cell proliferation and may help identify therapeutic targets for breast cancer treatment
    • Simulation results correctly predict that iron chelation promotes cell cycle arrest through p53-independent prevention of inhibition of p21

Evolutionary Genetics: Cave & Surface Amphipod Populations
May 2017-Present
Advisor: David Carlini, American University

  • Characterize the functional implications of a photolyase mutation fixed in one cave-dwelling population of Gammarus minus but absent in its founding surface population
    • Design and independently execute experiments to investigate UV-C sensitivity in two pairs of sister cave and surface populations of Gammarus minus
  • Validate results of survival experiments with molecular data
    • Extract crude proteins, RNA, and DNA from individuals, quantify extracts, and prepare sequencing reactions
    • Perform cDNA synthesis, PCR, gel electrophoresis, gel extractions, and qPCR
  • Employ R and Mathematica to conduct statistical analyses

Chemical Weapons & Syrian Children: Mining the Social Media Discourse                       
Oct. 16-March 17
Collaborator: Maryam Yamadi, American University

  • Employed DiscoverText software to search, collect, and filter tweets pertaining to use of chemical weapons on children in Syria
  • Manually coded 10,500 tweets based on user location in order to train active learning platform to categorize tweets based on user location using metadata.
  • Analyzed 20,870 tweets to identify differences in sentiment and content of tweets based on user location

Publication

Costanzi, S., Machado, J. H., & Mitchell, M. (2018). Nerve agents: what they are, how they work, how to counter them. ACS Chemical Neuroscience, 9(5), 873-885.

Selected Presentations

Mitchell, M., & Adams, J. Computational models for iron dynamics in breast tumor cells and macrophages. Poster session presented at: Mathematical Biosciences Institute Summer Undergraduate Capstone Conference; 2018 Aug 6-9; Columbus, OH.

Mitchell, M. Differential response to UV-C exposure in cave and surface populations of Gammarus minus. Poster session presented at: 28th Annual Robyn Rafferty Mathias Student Research Conference; 2018 Mar 24; Washington, DC.

Mitchell, M. Differential response to UV-C exposure in cave and surface populations of Gammarus minus. Poster session presented at: Celebrate the Sciences at American University; 2017 Oct 20; Washington, DC.

Mitchell, M., & Yamadi, M. Effect of Chemical Weapons on Syrian Children: A Text Mining Study to Determine Sentiment and Geographic Distribution of the Social Media Discourse. Invited talk presented at: American University Undergraduate Research Luncheon; 2017 May 2; Washington, DC.

Honors & Awards

  • Travel Grant, Mathematical Biosciences Institute at Ohio State University August 2018
  • Gloria Likins Scholarship for Women in Biological Research April 2018, April 2017 è Awarded to two female American University biology majors each year
  • Academic Achievement Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research February 2018
    • Awarded to two students out of 1,800 in the class of 2019 ² Barry
  • Goldwater Scholarship Nominee, American University November 2017 ²

Leadership Experience

Tutor                                                                                                                                                         
March 2016-Present
American University Student Athlete Support Program
Supported courses: Precalculus through Calculus III, Linear Algebra, Statistics, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Epidemiology, General Biology, Cell Biology, & Genetics

  • Work one-on-one with students to identify and strengthen areas of weakness, build confidence, and improve academic performance
  • Create study guides and practice exams, develop study plans, and clarify course content

Peer Leader                                                                                                                                             
August 2018-Present
American University Complex Problems Program
Course: The Threat of Chemical Weapons

  • Plan and evaluate co-curricular programs to enhance student experience and provide context for course content
  • Act as a liaison between program and professor, manage course communications, advise students during office hours, submit funding requests, & create and administer surveys

Vice-President & Fitness Liaison                                                                                                   
August 2017-Present
Safety Officer                                                                                                                                         
August 2015-Present
American University Equestrian Team

  • Coordinate events, work with coach and president to solve problems within the team, train officers, recruit new members, attend meetings with university staff, oversee apparel orders, and ensure that all team members are prepared and supported at competitions
  • Open dialogue with personal training staff about the health and fitness needs of the team, organize team strength and conditioning sessions with personal training staff, lead extra strength and cardio sessions
  • Maintain CPR/First Aid certifications and take responsibility for first aid at team events

Skills

Computer: R, SPSS, Mathematica, CellDesigner, Adobe, Microsoft Office Suite, & database searches

Language: Conversational in Spanish