Hard worker,
fast racer

Caitlyn Marie McCullough, daughter of Dan and Cathy McCullough of Bethel, graduated June 15 from Stanford University with a masters degree in bioengineering. While at Stanford, she raced for the university cycling team and helped lead the team to the 2007 Division I Collegiate National Championship.

Throughout the season, she led the women’s standings for the Western Collegiate Cycling Conference and garnered the leader’s jersey for the conference. In class and in the lab, she focused on cellular and molecular engineering methods, working towards regenerative medicine therapies. Some of her work involved the use of light-gated ion channels that can be used to remotely activate or inhibit electrically-excitable cells, such as nerve and muscle.

She helped generate fruit fly stocks containing activator and inhibitor channels to be used in the study of fruit fly development. She also wrote for the Stanford Scientific Magazine, volunteered at the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, taught a lab component as part of a summer course for advanced high school students, and raced all over California for a Palo Alto based cycling team, Team TIBCO.

She is looking forward to putting her degree to good use in the public realm. (Provided)