Purdue I Biochem Day 0 – The Coolest E. coli You’ll Ever Meet (Meet the TA/RMs!)

Welcome to the SSP Blog for 2025 Purdue Biochemistry I! This will be a space for participants to share any and everything about their SSP experience this summer—deep reflections, funny inside jokes, and pictures from your explorations are all super welcome. For the Day 0 (Move-in Day) Blog, the Teaching Assistants/Residential Mentors (TA/RMs for short) wanted to give some quick introductions so that you can get to know us better! We’re proudly repping Team E. coli this summer (yes, we chose that for ourselves—you’ll see it on our dorm doors), and we can’t wait to meet you all.

Anthony Sainato

My name is Anthony Sainato, and I am a recent graduate from Indiana University with a biochemistry B.S. I am from Crown Point, Indiana, which is a small city in northwest Indiana about 50 miles from Chicago. I am attending medical school at the Indiana University School of Medicine in the fall. This will be my second summer working as a TA with SSP in the Purdue biochemistry program. My main interests are working out and comics/movies. I look forward to a great summer!  

Nathan Smith

My name is Nathan Smith, and I am from Cedar Falls, Iowa. I just completed my junior year at a small liberal arts college in Pella, Iowa called Central College where I study Biology, Biochemistry, Spanish, History, and Environmental Studies. I also do organic chemistry research on the process of making macrocycles for the purposes of specifying anticancer drugs to smaller areas. I have participated in two choral ensembles over the past three years and have had the chance to tour through Nashville, Tennessee in the beginning of May. Back home I have two siblings, my parents, and four cats whom I love spending time with. This coming fall I will continue my education at Central as well as complete applications to numerous medical schools throughout the US. When I am not in classes, doing research, or spending time with friends and family, I enjoy playing video games, traveling, and letting my mind roam to learn about new and normally very random topics! This summer I am so excited to meet y’all, and to get to come alongside you in this amazing learning opportunity!

Shelby Sliger

Hello! My name is Shelby Sliger, and I am originally from Lafayette, Indiana. I just graduated from Purdue with a degree in biochemistry from the College of Agriculture with minors in bioinformatics and professional writing. I conducted my undergraduate research in the Dr. Joe Ogas’s lab where I studied chromatin remodeling proteins in Arabidopsis. My hobbies are reading fantasy books, singing Taylor Swift, hanging out at cat cafes, and playing board or card games. In the fall, I am attending the University of Michigan Program in Biomedical Sciences (PIBS) to earn my PhD in cancer biology. My long-term goal is to become a professor and conduct full-time cancer research at an R1 university like Purdue. I am so excited to do science and hang out with you all this summer!

Jenny Nwokeji

Hi everyone! My name is Jenny Nwokeji, and I am so excited to be a TA/RM for SSP this year. I am from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and I recently graduated from Princeton University this May with a degree in Molecular Biology and minors in Bioengineering and African Studies. My undergraduate research used structural biology and biochemistry to study a model system of the malaria parasite, investigating the structure and function of a protein essential for parasitic infection. I was inspired to go into this field because of SSP! I was a participant in the 2020 Purdue Biochemistry program (there was only one Biochem at Purdue at the time). My SSP experience was all virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but I still gained so much from the amazing work and the even more amazing community. Outside of science, I love to exercise, cook/bake, listen to (and occasionally play) music, and make art/fashion. My long-term goal is to become a physician-scientist, and I am currently applying to MD/PhD programs this summer. For my gap year, I will be working at the NIH researching treatments for sickle cell disease and volunteering in free clinics in the DC metro area. SSP is an amazing experience and I really look forward to connecting with you all this summer!