Dr Elizabeth Sandquist

Dr. Elizabeth Sandquist

Education

Postdoctoral Fellow at Iowa State University

Ph.D. at the University of North Dakota

B.S. at the University of North Dakota

Contact Information

Email: esandquist@weber.edu

Phone: 801-626-6139

Office Location:
Tracy Hall Science Center (TY)

Room 406

Teaching Philosophy & Focus

My teaching focuses on the areas of cell biology, neuroscience and stem cell biology. I enjoy teaching because it allows me to share my passion for science— particularly the brain. I find great satisfaction in sharing with students the life-changing discoveries made by scientists. As a teacher, I hope to provide students the best pathways to achieve their goals, which will far exceed what we could hope of today.

Courses Taught

ZOOL 3200 - Cell Biology

ZOOL 3200L - Cell Biology Lab

ZOOL 1110L - Principles of Zoology I Lab

Research Areas of Interest

My interests are focused on the area of neuroscience and stem cell research, with an emphasis on the role of the cellular environment. I have performed research using cell culture, mice and zebrafish models. My long-term research objective is to explore how the environment affects repair of the brain and eye. This knowledge will aid in the development of novel stem cell therapies for the treatment of diseases such as traumatic brain injury, stroke, glaucoma and macular degeneration.

I investigate neural repair using zebrafish. Zebrafish have the capacity to regenerate following injury, while neural repair is quite limited in mammals. One of the greatest challenges to stem cell therapies is the proper integration of transplanted cells. With the use of transgenic zebrafish, I hope to characterize changes in the microenvironment that promote the migration and survival of neural stem cells in zebrafish for the application of stem cell transplantation therapies in humans.

I highly encourage the involvement of undergraduates in research. Students in my lab learn immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, fluorescent microscopy, CRISPR-mediated genome editing and zebrafish husbandry. They also gain valuable skills in scientific literacy, experiment design and science communication.

-Students from the lab presenting their research at the Utah Conference for Undergraduate Research in 2019. (Pictured from left to right: Kelton Friedel, Justin Morales, Patrick Garrett, Connor Stocks and Jesus Saavedra)-