Kumi Rattenbury (1997)

I finished a MS in Biology at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks in 2006 working with reindeer herders in western Alaska, now work as an ecologist with the National Park Service Arctic Network Inventory and Monitoring program, and live in Fairbanks with my main squeeze Phil Joy and 23 dogs.

Zina Mercil (2003)

Yes, this is a real picture, and yes the future for Neuroscience majors is bright!

Kara Lindstrom (2002)

Upon completion of my degree in 2002, I left the beautiful mountains of Colorado and headed to the humid swamps of Washington DC to participate in the Intramural Research Training Program with the Laboratory of Brain and Cognition. After my IRTA days, I became a graduate student in the National Institute of Health - Karolinska Institutet Graduate Partnership Program. I spend half of my time doing research in at NIH in Bethesda, MD and the remainder of my time is spent at KI in Stockholm, Sweden taking classes and working on my research. My dissertation focuses on the developmental and psychopathological implications of threat orientation, brain function and expectation in adults and children. It is my goal to complete this program and hopefully receive a PhD in clinical neuroscience.

Kalista Trombley (2004)

After graduating from CC, I pursued my interest in medicine. I am currently a second year medical student at the Kirksville College of Osteopathy. Although challenging, I am fully enjoying this experience. I even play with the idea of becoming a neurologist! There are few DO residencies for neurologists; nevertheless, I am sure there will be more with time. And, as a medical student, I have little life outside of medicine. I am married to my work--enjoy every day that I learn about our bodies, healing, and compassion. I look forward to the day when I can travel the world and help those in utmost need of medical attention. Life is truly great!

Professor Lori (Larsen) Driscoll (1994) and Jon Driscoll (1995)

After graduating from CC in 1994, I took two years off before entering graduate school. First I served as the Psychology Department paraprofessional; then I worked for a year as a technician in a compounding pharmacy, making custom prescription medications for patients with allergies and chemical sensitivities. It was at this job that I developed an interest in pharmacology and environmental toxicology, which I went on to study in graduate school. I received my Ph.D. in Biopsychology from Cornell University in 2003, after which I accepted a position as an Assistant Professor right back here in the CC Psychology Department. It is amazing to come full circle and to contribute to the same program that shaped my own education and interests! My husband and fellow Psychology department graduate Jon ('95), who traveled with me from Colorado to New York and back to Colorado, is now working in the CC library.

Denise (Long) Needham (1997) and Bob Needham (1997)

My husband, Bob, and I moved to Bangor, Maine approximately 2 years ago after I graduated from the Doctor of Pharmacy program at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. I delivered my twin boys Zachary and Dominic shortly after Christmas in January 2003 (now 21 months old). After my maternity leave, I started a Pharmacy Practice residency at Eastern Maine Medical Center, where I now work part-time as a Staff Clinical Pharmacist. I enjoy my job very much. It is a very diverse environment which allows me to work alongside physicians of various specialties, conduct pharmacy practice-related research, and chair/serve on many different committees. There is an urgent need for pharmacists in the state of Maine, both clinically and staff oriented. This means there is no shortage of work to be done! Bob works as an accountant at a CPA firm in town. He coaches various levels of hockey teams in his "spare" time. We plan on welcoming our 3rd boy sometime around Christmas this year.

Clara Vondrich (2000)

Clara accepting 2nd placefor the women's 20-29 age group in the 2005 "Race for the River," a 2.4 mileswim in the Hudson River to raise funds for river clean-up and preservation.July 16, 2005, New York, New York. Since graduating from CC in 2000, I embarked on a series of seemingly unrelated adventures (though I'm still trying to connect the dots), including a year developing strategery on Al Gore’s presidential campaign, a year working for DC lobby shop Akin Gump (no relation to Forrest), and a year in Prague helping the Czech government organize the 2002 NATO Summit. Upon my return stateside, I decided it was time to get serious: I am currently halfway through my studies at the University of Virginia School of Law, expected graduation May 2006. I hope to use my law degree to push for better global environmental policies so that our grandkids don’t have to play inside climate-controlled bubbles and/or on the moon. Here's a link to a recent article on climate change and greenhouse gas regulation. Click here.

Katie Travis (2003)

I spent my first year after graduation working as the paraprof for CC's Biology and Chinese Culture program and the neuroscience course in Tawain. In my second year, I practiced my Chinese at the National Institutes of Health in an electrophysiology laboratory. My research interests include neurobiological underpinnings of language, second language acquisition, and the evolution of language in the human brain. I am currently in a Neuroscience Ph.D. program at the University of California, San Diego.

Aaron Ransome (2003)

I am back here in Colorado in my first year at the UCHSC grad program in Denver. I am a Biomedical Science Program student, which means I choose from any of the available PhD programs here after one year of classes and lab rotations. I am most interested in the Immunology and Pharmacology programs. My first rotation is with John Cambier, working on AIDS and inflamation indirectly through studies on B, T, and mast-cell signal transduction. My next rotation is with Bob Murphy, who uses mass spectrometry, biochemistry, and immunology to study the effects of lipid derivatives from the arachidonic acid pathway on inflammation and other biological processes. I am not sure where my last rotation will be. Of course, you can see in my pictures that lab work it isn't everything . . .

Nate Birgenheier (2002)

I am now in my second year at Creighton Medical School and loving every minute of it. (In case anyone is wondering, CC's Neuroscience program does a phenomenal job in preparing one for medical school!) When it comes to specialities and what I am considering now....you guessed it: Neurology. At least I think it looks really great. I am also considering residencies in hematology/oncology and maybe anesthesiology or pathology too. Of course, residency is still a long ways off! Aside from school, I got married this summer to Lauren Tice, another CC grad (geology) who is now working on her PhD in geology at University of Nebraska.  No plans for kids for a LONG TIME. I still love biking, although the midwest is sorely lacking in the mountain department, so it is more the road variety now.

 

Ting Shen (2000)--second from left

I graduated from CC in 2000 with a B.A. in neuroscience and political science.  Following her graduation, I worked at the Neuroscience Research Institute in Santa Barbara, CA where I researched Alzheimer's disease. My research was published in the Journal of Biochemistry as the front cover story in August 2003. After completing my research project in 2001, I became a joint United Nations and Peace Corps volunteer in both the Ivory Coast and Kenya. I am currently a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA.  I am pursuing my MBA at the Tepper School of Business and my Masters in Public Policy and Management at the Heinz School for Public Policy. I expect to graduate in 2006.  My long term goals are to pursue a career in regional economic development in the developing world.

 

 

Jesse Jacobs (2000)

After graduating from CC in 2000, I took some time off, working at Colorado Springs Utilities in Geographic Information Systems. After Amy graduated in 2001, we got married and moved to Portland, OR. While in Oregon, I pursued a PhD in Neuroscience at Oregon Health & Science University. My research focused on the role of the cerebral cortex on posture and movement, and the neural mechanisms of impaired posture with Parkinson's disease. Amy and I also celebrated the birth of our first-born daughter, Jadyn, in July of 2004! After receiving my degree in 2006, we moved to Burlington, Vermont, where I am now a post-doctoral fellow. I continue to pursue an understanding of how the cerebral cortex contributes to our control of posture, although now my clinical interest focuses on musculoskeletal disorders, such as chronic low back pain. Amy and I also celebrated the birth of our second daughter, Kasey, in February! Note: In 2008, Jesse became an assistant professor in the Department of Rehabilitation and Movement Science at the University of Vermont.

 

Felisa Gonzales (2002)

After graduating from CC, I embarked upon a year-long Watson Fellowship to study instances of spiritual possession from social, economic and psychological perspectives in Brazil, Guatemala and Sri Lanka. Along with making many friends, getting a good tan, and learning alot about the cultural significance of disease and treatment in different countries, I became interested in the work that non-governmental organizations were doing in the countries I visited. My experiences with such organizations, especially in Guatemala, inspired me to work with a non-profit agency upon my return. For a year I worked as a Crisis Line Responder and Women's Advocate at the Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Non-Violence. Getting some first-hand clinical experience with victims of domestic violence was a challenging and enlightening experience. I then started a dual master's program in Social Work and International Affairs at DU, CC's archrival, but have recently decided that this area was not a good fit for me. I hope to complete a masters in public health or public policy in the years to come and resume my travels to different parts of the globe!

 

Melissa (Prather) Bauman (1998)

I entered the Neuroscience doctoral program at UC Davis after graduating from CC in 1998 with a degree in Psychology. I received my Ph.D. in Neuroscience in 2003. I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute where I continue my work with animal models of autism and have begun a new project studying face processing in children with autism. I am married to a fellow CC grad, Joel Bauman (‘99) and we have a beautiful baby girl named Elise.

 

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