I am writing this letter the week following our May graduation ceremonies. The sun is shining and all is well with the world! Congratulations once again to all our graduating seniors and doctoral students. During the ceremony, one of our faculty, Jon Oatley, hooded SMB graduate student Aileen Helsel who earned her doctorate after researching sperm stem cell biology in Jon’s lab. It has been a busy few months for Aileen. In the last two months, Aileen not only defended her thesis and published a research paper, but also gave birth to a baby girl. That’s what I call productivity! Aileen’s growing family reminds me that this summer our SMB family is also expanding. In July, we will be welcoming a new faculty member, Ryan Driskell. Ryan spent the last 10 years in Cambridge and London, researching various aspects of skin stem cell biology in one of the premier labs in the world. We are excited that he selected WSU to establish his research team and look forward to working with him in Pullman.
Jonathan Jones, Ph.D, Director
