Catherine "Katy" Hooke is a 2004 graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a B.S. in animal science. Her research on adipose tissue metabolism was her honors thesis, completed with mentor and advisor, Professor Gale Carey, professor in the Animal and Nutritional Sciences Department.
Katy says while conducting her research she learned a lot about adipose tissue metabolism, as well as designing and completing a research project and troubleshooting in the lab. She decided that writing about her project for Inquiry would be a good opportunity to learn about the process of submitting to a journal and to share her research with a larger audience. Currently, Katy is working at the National Institute of Health in Washington, D.C., where she has a post-baccalaureate fellowship with the National Cancer Institute.
Katy says Professor Carey is responsible for sparking her research interest. Carey is a 16-year veteran of UNH, specializing in metabolic biochemistry and nutrition. Over the years she has mentored between 30 and 35 undergraduates in their work.
"What a joy it is to be a mentor, and see students discover how wonderfully capable they are!" Carey commented, adding that obtaining specimens for Katy's project was a challenge, and she was impressed with Katy's diligence, flexibility, and willingness to work, even on her Inquiry article, well after graduation. "I just provided feedback and suggestions" for Katy's writing, she said. "I know the process well... write, revise, rewrite, revise, rewrite... It can seem never-ending!"
Nonetheless, Carey says she is pleased that students now have the opportunity to finalize the research process just as a professional scientist would-by archiving their work with the scientific community, in writing.
Read Catherine Hooke's research brief, A Synthetic Activation of Human Fat Cell Energy Release >>
