BOLIE SCHOLARS
Bolie Family Endowment for the Molecular Biology Graduate Program
In 2012, the Bolie Family established the Victor W. and Earleen Bolie Graduate Scholarship fund, which is dedicated to pre-doctoral training in the Molecular Biology Graduate Program. This generous endowment enables our program to fund training activities
that enhance the scientific and professional development of our trainees. Each year we use the Bolie Graduate Scholarship funds to fund:
Bolie Travel Award. Each trainee in Molecular Biology Graduate Program receives one of these awards during their pre-doctoral training, which enables them to travel to national or international conferences and present their work.
Bolie Mini-Sabbatical. The Bolie Mini-Sabbatical enables pre-doctoral trainees to travel for 1-2 weeks to a laboratory outside University of Colorado to learn new techniques and experimental approaches that expand their training beyond the expertise of their thesis laboratory.
Bolie Scholar Award. Each year, three Bolie Scholar Awards are given to outstanding senior pre-doctoral trainees in recognition of their scientific and educational contributions.
Meet the Bolie Scholars for 2022-2023!
Julia attended Colgate University and received her BA in Mathematics and Biology in 2016. She contributed to research projects in several fields including dog genetics, algebraic topology, and cancer cell biology. From 2016-2018, Julia worked as a research assistant at Harvard Medical School in the lab of Dr. Elisabeth Battinelli and studied the interactions between platelets and tumor cells during breast cancer development.
Currently, she is in the lab of Dr. Rytis Prekeris where she has discovered a novel methyltransferase and is investigating its role in primary cilia formation. Outside of research, Julia enjoys being outside, swimming, reading, spending time with friends, laughing, live music, and good food.
Arely completed her BS in Microbiology at the University of Texas at El Paso in 2018 where she worked in the lab of Dr. German Rosas-Acosta studying SUMOylation in the stress response. Here she developed an interest in RNA biology and gene-regulatory networks. During this time, Arely’s work and studies were funded through the NIH BUILDing SCHOLARS fellowship.
Currently, she is in the lab of Dr. Tânia Reis where she studies fat metabolism regulation by RNA-binding proteins using Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism. She is also interested in understanding the sexual dimorphism of these regulatory mechanisms.
Arely is also an active member of our CU Anschutz SACNAS Chapter where she has developed professional, networking, and teaching skills. Additionally, this organization has increased her sense of belonging in STEM. She considers her efforts towards diversifying the field and creating an inclusive environment as fundamental to her role in the scientific community.
Outside of lab, Arely enjoys hanging out with her best friends, playing indoor and outdoor soccer, hiking in the Rocky Mountains, practicing yoga, and trying out the best food spots in the Denver Metro. She is a native of the El Paso- Cd Juarez, US-MX border and identifies as Latina and Mexican-American.
I graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2018 with a degree in Biochemistry, where I also worked for four years in the lab of Dr. Deepali Sachdev. My excitement for research was instantly sparked, and I had the great opportunity to develop my own projects on negative feedback regulatory mechanisms in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer.
As a current student in the Molecular Biology program and under the mentorship of Dr. Jeff Moore, I study the role of tubulin conformational states in the regulation of microtubule dynamics during neurodevelopment. I have loved the challenge of diving headfirst into a new field, and I hope to keep doing that well beyond my time in grad school.
Outside of lab, I love anything that gets me outside and specifically near water (not always easy to come by here in Colorado, but that means I appreciate it that much more!) I love running, biking, skiing, reading for book club, going to concerts, and spending evenings in the backyard with friends.
Former Bolie Scholars
Name | Research Interest | Bolie Scholar Award Year | Current Position |
| Rachel Jones | Structure and evolution of a distinct class of exoribonuclease-resistant RNA (xrRNA) structures found in Flaviviruses. | 2021 | Current Predoctoral Student |
| Linnea Wethekam | Understanding how cells regulate the expression of the α- and β-tubulin and the consequences of expression imbalance. | 2021 | Current Predoctoral Student |
| Claire Gillette | The role of RNA-binding proteins in regulating energy homeostasis | 2021 | Postdoc, CU Anschutz, Scott Cramer Lab |
James Till | Mechanisms of Nitric Oxide-induced gentamicin tolerance in Salmonella | 2020 | Recently completed PhD |
Cayla Jewett | Membrane trafficking pathways in cell polarization and lumen formation. | 2020 | Postdoc, Johns Hopkins University, Andrew Holland Lab |
Kristin Dahl | mTOR regulation of oligodendrocyte cytoskeleton rearrangement during myelination | 2020 | Current Predoctoral Student |
Emily Duncan | Rab GTPase-mediated ubiquitylation in cell migration and invasion. | 2019 | Scientist I, Birch Biosciences, LLC |
Laura White | RNA repair and translational regulation | 2019 | Recently completed PhD |
Katie Yergert | Molecular Mechanisms Underlying mRNA Localization to Myelin Sheaths | 2019 | Postdoctoral Fellow at Emory University |
Patrick Cherry | RNA processing regulates the Unfolded Protein Response | 2018 | Scientist 1, Zymergen |
Gabby Li | Intrinsic control of microtubule dynamics | 2018 | Postdoctoral Fellow National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) |
Tessa Arends | The role of alternative splicing in B cells | 2017 | Postdoctoral Fellow, Fred Hutchinson Center |
Erik Linklater | Regulation of cancer cell migration and invasion by Rab40b. | 2017 | Sr, Scientist, PPD |
Cassi Estrem | Dynein regulation by its microtubule track and its influence on microtubule dynamics to properly position the mitotic spindle in budding yeast. | 2017 | Postdoctoral Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Margaret Balas | Long noncoding RNAs in heterochromatin establishment and maintenance | 2016 | Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus |
Kelsey Hazegh | Determining the method and mechanism by which split ends and alan shepard contribute to fat regulation in Drosophila and whether it has a conserved role in mammalian cells. | 2016 | Research Associate, Vitalant Research Institute |
Hannah Scarborough | Targeting lung cancers | 2015 | Medical Student, University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine |
Louis Cicchini | Innate Host Immune Recognition during Human Papillomavirus Infection | 2015 | Cell Separation and Immunology Specialist, STEMCELL Technologies |
Ryan Sheridan | The Role of RNA Polymerase II Elongation Control in Transcription Dynamics | 2015 | Postdoctoral Fellow, RBI Informatics Fellow, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus |
Julie Woodman | The role of phosphorylation in regulating the Scc2 cohesin deposition factor | 2014 | Assistant Professor, Colorado Christian University |
Seth Welsh | The functions of Early B Cell Factor 1 (EBF1) in transcriptional repression and human leukemia | 2014 | Postdoctoral Fellow, DePt. of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Arizona |
Alexandra Antonioli | Determining the roles of factor H-Related proteins in Complement Regulation | 2014 | Medical Student, University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine |
Becky Fusby | The role of human SPT6 in transcription regulation by RNA polymerase II | 2013 | Biosafety Scientist, NAMSA |
Juliette Peterson | Gene-environment interactions influence on the risk for neural tube defect | 2013 | AAAS Science & Technology Fellow, Osd Health Readiness Policy & Oversight, U.S. Department of Defense |
Michael Holliday | Allosteric Communication Networks and Enzymatic Regulation as Mediated by Conformational Dynamics in the Cyclophilin Family of Peptidyl-Prolyl Isomerases | 2013 | Postdoctoral Fellow, Genentech Inc. |