Sarah Ruttenberg*

Degrees

B.S. Chemistry, Minors in Microbiology and Immunology, Spanish, University of Miami (2019)

Ph.D. Chemistry, UCI (expected graduation 2024)

Research

Sarah studies amyloidogenic proteins to understand their role in neurodegenerative disorders.

Biography

Sarah was born and raised in the DC metro area. In 2015, she moved to Florida to study chemistry at the University of Miami. After four years in the sunshine state, she moved to Irvine, California to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry. Currently, Sarah is a Ph.D. candidate in the Nowick Lab where she uses chemical biology tools to model and characterize amyloidogenic proteins like Amyloid-β and α-synuclein with the goal of better understanding their role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases. Outside of research, Sarah loves writing, live music, beach days, traveling, and cuddling with her cat, Maybe (yes, that’s her name).

Why is science communication important to you?

In my opinion, science communication is just as important as scientific research. If scientific research is not communicated effectively, then the knowledge gained from it cannot be applied effectively. Understanding how and why our universe, our earth, and our bodies work the way they do is crucial to protecting them. Everyone should have the right to be informed about any topic that may affect them. Because science is often difficult to understand, it is our job as scientists to learn to communicate our science to different kinds of people. This is not an easy feat. The science we communicate and the manner with which we communicate it is constantly evolving. This makes science communication a crucial and never-ending endeavor.

Click here for Loh Downs by Sarah!