David Cummins and Carter Longstreth contributed to a paper entitle, "Analysis of transition rates from variational flooding using analytical theory" is now published in the Journal of Chemical Physics! We combine variationally enhanced sampling with Kramers' time-dependent rate theory to extract rare event kinetics from MD simulations.
Kayla's paper entitle, "Exploring Product Release from Yeast Cytosine Deaminase with Metadynamics" is now published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry B!
The 2024 Volcano Conference hosted by the University of Washington at Pack Forest by the base of Mt. Rainier was a 'chill' time. With a slight February breeze, the setting was perfect for long hikes to the Little Mashel Falls and time spent around the bonfire.
Students and professors from WWU headed out Saturday
afternoon to view the majestic Mashel Falls after the talks.
The science talks were quite entertaining, full of organic synthesis and medicinal application, and with as light as atmosphere as the sun shining through the windows of Scott Hall. Giving opportunity for both undergraduate and graduate student researchers to present their work along side seasoned professionals in a quaint setting allowed for barriers to be broken and the seeding of collaboration to begin. Friday's poster session in the MacBride building was a great opportunity to share and hear recent works by students from schools in the Pacific Northwest.
David Cummins and Kayla Croney, both Masters students in the Dr. Jay McCarty
Lab at WWU, present their work in computational biochemistry.
The atmosphere was light and refreshing, bringing together scientists from a diverse range of fields. We learned about the progress of synthesizing pufferfish tetrodotoxin from the keynote speaker and how to light a fire in the cold, damp foothills of Mt. Rainier.
Hey, even the food was good too!
About the Author:
David Cummins, an upcoming Masters graduate is not only a computational biochemist but avid pickleball player as well. He is graduating in Spring, '24 and hopes to work in the biotech industry.