Name: Noah Greenwood
Pronouns: he/him/his
Institution: Creighton University
Department: Physics
Biography:
I am a Junior at Creighton University majoring in biomedical physics. I came to Creighton because of my interest in being challenged academically while preparing myself to be competitive for my application to medical school. I chose to major in biomedical physics because I was exposed to a true interdisciplinary education: I learned how to use physics concepts, tools, and methodologies to understand human physiology at the nano and macro scale. I joined Dr. Soto’s lab in my freshmen year. In my first project, I was involved in molecular docking calculations that investigated how a small pharmacological chaperone molecule binds to the prion protein to prevent misfolding. My current project looks at the interactions between the prion protein and model membranes. In high school, I excelled in the sciences, and so my strong background has helped me excel in college. My strong performance was noticed by faculty who supported my application to the NIH INBRE scholar program. As part of the program, I did research during the summer of 2023 with Dr. Gendelman at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The goal of my project was to utilize extracellular vesicles as a therapeutic delivery system for HIV gene editing therapies.
Academic Status: Undergraduate Student
Other, specify:
Year in program: 3rd
Research Area/Department: other
Other, specify: computational biophysics
Major/Specialty: Biomedical Physics
Degrees Earned or in Progress: In the process of getting (BS/biomedical physics/2025)
What courses or academic preparation have you completed to prepare for a summer internship experience?
Gen Chemistry lecture and labs, Gen Biology lecture and labs, Cell structure and function, Organica chemistry 1 and 2, organic chemistry labs, biochemistry, calculus-based physics, modern physics
Have you published any research or worked on research/technical projects? Yes
Where has your research been published or where have you conducted research/technical projects?
P Soto et al. Prion. 2023 Dec;17(1):55-66. doi: 10.1080/19336896.2023.2186674.
Describe your research/academic interests:
Currently, I am a member of Dr. Soto’s computational biophysics lab at Creighton University. In our lab, we focus on understanding the misfolding and aggregation mechanism of the prion protein, a key process in prion diseases, which are always fatal. My current project focuses on characterizing the membrane properties of membrane patches we have simulated to model the interaction between the prion protein and model plasma membranes. Specifically, I have calculated descriptors of the membrane (area per lipid, thickness, lipid tail order parameter) and of the anchor molecule that tethers the protein to the plasma membrane. I presented my research at the Nebraska Academy of Science last April 2023. In the Fall of 2023, I worked in the lab with Dr. Soto, my PI, for 10 hours per week. As a result of my research experience, I have discovered the power of computational work. I have built my skills to the point that I now develop and comfortably run Jupyter Notebooks in Python. I have realized that computational work can elegantly address difficult questions brought about by in vitro or in vivo models without the challenges involved with purification and creating favorable environments. Along with that computational work can minimize errors and the amount of time required to uncover meaningful data, but with that can come the frustration associated with troubleshooting your code. Through my years in Dr. Soto’s lab, I have learned to work through these issues and it has taught me important lessons that can be translated to all areas of my life. After I receive my BS, I plan to attend medical school for my MD. My research experiences have underscored the significance of computational biophysics in providing a more comprehensive and profound understanding of scientific concepts and phenomena, as well as communicating challenging ideas to laymen. These skills can be translated into a clinical setting allowing me to better treat patients as a physician.
Faculty: Patricia Soto