Meet the Mentor: Kara Vasilew

Contact: karafarq@bu.edu
Gender Identity & Pronouns: Female – she/her/hers
Affinity Groups: gFIRST, Disability Advocacy Group
Race/Ethnicity and/or Nationality: White/Caucasian, Scottish
Languages: English
Hometown: Sunnyvale, CA
Education: Bachelor’s in Biochemistry and Master’s in Chemistry at Rochester Institute of Technology
Industry Interest: Researching the effects of polyphosphates in the innate immune response against Legionella pneumophila infection in a murine model. This work combines cellular biology, microbiology, bacteriology and cellular engineering to understand how we are infected and defend against intracellular bacteria. 

Personal Facts/Hobbies:

I did my Bachelor’s in Biochemistry and my Master’s in Chemistry, focused on Biochemistry, at Rochester Institute of Technology. There, I was heavily involved in a research lab that looked at membrane-bound proteins and its effect on E. coli sepsis and later researching 2 possible protein-protein interactions for protein candidates in a vaccine against Non-Typeable Haemophilus influenzae. I also spent my time in my Master’s working in another laboratory (yes, 2 labs at once!) researching candidates for a global vaccine against Influenza A. During all of this, I was a resourceful mentor for the 20-something undergraduate students in the labs on a daily basis, helping them with everything from classwork to finding new jobs and graduate school opportunities. I finished my Master’s degree virtually in 2020 from the state of California, where I was born and raised.

I started my time here at BU in the PiBS program in September 2020, as the COVID pandemic raged on. Through virtual courses and in-person rotations, navigating a new city and new friends, I ended up joining the Bosmann Lab (located in the Pulmonary Center) and the Microbiology department in June 2021.

A few extra facts about me: I currently live in East Boston with my lovely husband, Dan, Amber, our cat, and Ash, our dog! I am also Hard-of-Hearing with over 75% hearing loss in both ears. Lastly, I am a First-Generation American (to Scottish parents) and a First-Generation Graduate Student!

Please feel free to reach out for any advice or help navigating BUMC!