July 2009 Spotlight: Ryan McCormick

Spring 2009 Department of Biology graduate Ryan McCormick has already made a name for himself in his chosen field. A graduate of Texas A&M’s Undergraduate Research Scholars program, Ryan has achieved mastery of disciplines and techniques that rivals that of many graduate students.

Ryan has worked closely with the department’s Center for Research on Biological Clocks for the past three years. Most recently, he has been involved with a  project that has used ChIP/Solexa DNA sequencing to identify direct targets of a transcription factor complex, the White Collar Complex. The WCC is a central component of the circadian clock in Neurospora crassa and functions to activate expression of the clock gene frq to form part of a feed back loop, and also functions to activate expression of key components of the output pathways that signal time of day information to control overt rhythmicity. Very little is known about how the output signals work, and Ryan’s work will contribute to a much better understanding of these pathways. As a result of his work on this project, Ryan is an author of a paper which is in preparation. It will be submitted to the journal Molecular Cell this spring.

Ryan has distinguished himself in many ways while at Texas A&M. He has been a summer student at Oxford University, a field worker on an archaeological dig in Transylvania, a member and president of the Aggie Speleological Society, and has participated in student organizations including Replant and the Big Event. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, a Dean’s List honoree for every semester at A&M, and he was named Outstanding Junior of Texas A&M University by Phi Beta Kappa.

In addition to all of his achievements, Ryan is also well-liked and respected by faculty and his peers. Professor Deborah Bell-Pedersen calls him an exceptional scholar and says, “students like Ryan come along once in a lifetime.”

After graduation in May, Ryan will begin his graduate career and attend Texas A&M beginning in January 2010.