Going back to school

I'm heading back to Georgia Southern to pursue another degree.

I'll be going for a degree in Electrical Engineering this fall, and planning on transferring to GA Tech by the summer.

It feels a bit weird to be going back to college, especially after working and all of the traveling I've done, but I think it's the best choice in the long term. I enjoy biology and hope to be able to use my knowledge in the future but I think the more applied aspects of engineering will be a better fit.


- Joseph McGaughey

A little bit about me

My resume:

Joseph McGaughey

JosephMcGaughey@gmail.com

WORK EXPERIENCE:

Oak Ridge National Lab (June 2008 - September 2009)

Research Associate, Dynamic Visualization of Lignocellulose Degradation by Integration of Neutron Scattering Imaging and Computer Simulation.

Problem solving and analysis in the experimental setup, growth, and sample preparation of deterated cellulosic biomass primarily from wheatgrass, switchgrass and cellulose producing Gluconacetobacter xylinus bacteria. Assisted with x-ray scattering studies and preparation of samples that were studied using small angle neutron scattering.

Skills/Techniques used: HPLC (AKTA system), Gel Electrophoresis, IEF gels, Aseptic technique, Indoor horticulture, UV/Vis spectrophotometry.

Nayduch Laboratory Research [Student] (May 2007 – December 2007)

Temporal and Spatial Fate of GFP-Expressing Motile and Nonmotile Aeromonas hydrophila in the House Fly Digestive Tract.

Collected bacterial samples from the environment. Cultured, typed, and purified those samples to obtain a pure wild type source of A. hydrophila. Transformed bacteria with a GFP expressing plasmid via experimentally determined electroporation conditions. Fed houseflies transformed bacteria and dissected at specific time-points. Analyzed results using micro-dissection, UV-microscopy, and bacterial counts to determine how the immune system of the housefly protected against ingested bacteria.

Skills/Techniques used: Microbiological techniques (Restriction enzymes, DNA plasmid manipulation, Bacterial transformation/screening/selection), Electroporation, UV-Microscopy, Micro-Dissection, Gel Electrophoresis, Bacterial Identification and Isolation, DNA Isolation and Purification.

EDUCATION:

Bachelor of Science in Biology, December 2007. (magna cum laude)

Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA. GPA: 3.78

Academic Honors: SMART Grant, four year HOPE Scholar, President's List, Dean's List.

PUBLICATIONS:

Temporal and Spatial Fate of GFP-Expressing Motile and Nonmotile Aeromonas hydrophila in the House Fly Digestive Tract. Joseph McGaughey and Dana Nayduch. (2009). Journal of Medical Entomology, Vol. 46, No. 1. 123-130.

SANS study of cellulose extracted from switchgrass. S. V. Pingali, V. S. Urban, W. T. Heller, J. McGaughey, H. M. O'Neill, M. Foston, D. A. Myles, A. J. Ragauskas and B. R. Evans. (2010).

Acta Crystallographica. D66, 1189-1193.

Breakdown of Cell Wall Nanostructure in Dilute Acid Pretreated Biomass.

Sai Venkatesh Pingali, Volker S. Urban, William T. Heller, Joseph McGaughey, Hugh O’Neill, Marcus Foston, Dean A. Myles, Arthur Ragauskas, and Barbara R. Evans. (2010).

Biomacromolecules. 11 (9), 2329–2335.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS/AWARDS:

1^st prize at the National Meeting of the Entomological Society of America (in the Student Competition for the President's Prize) 

 

OTHER SKILLS

A+ Certification. Computer Hardware Assembly/Repair, Computer Troubleshooting, Computer Networking.