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Jason O'Donnell

Blurred image of the arch used as background for stylistic purposes.
Lecturer

I was born and raised on Cape Cod, MA., where I spent summer seasons fishing local beaches and winter seasons playing hockey. At a very early age I developed an interest in physical fitness, and nutrition, which eventually led me to enroll as a student at Springfield College, located in Springfield, MA (home of Dr. Seuss!) as a Physical Therapy major. After receiving my degree in Sports Biology with a minor in Nutrition, I went to graduate school at Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, where I received a Ph.D. in 2009 in Biochemistry under the mentorship of Drs. Michael Chapman and Kenneth Taylor. My dissertation work involved understanding Viral-host interaction on a structural level by using the technique of Cryo-Electron Microscopy. After completing my Ph.D., I performed a post-doc at FSU in Dr. Scott Stagg’s lab working on COPII proteins. Here, we wanted to figure out how individual COPII proteins inside of our cells assemble into large Macromolecular cages used to transport proteins from one location to another. In 2011 I arrived in Athens with a post-doctoral position in Dr. Ralph Tripp’s laboratory located in UGA’s Department of Infectious Diseases. My work focused on High Throughput Screening for cellular host factors involved in Measles and Polio-virus replication.

In 2014 I joined the Division of Biological Sciences as a Lecturer. I enjoy teaching all aspect of Biology and Biochemistry, especially the wonderful world of scientific research. In my free time, I can be found walking my dog, learning how to fly fish, and enjoying a good game of chess.

Education:

Ph.D. - Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL

B.Sc. - Springfield College, Springfield, MA

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Undergraduate Research in Biology

Undergraduates majoring in biology have the opportunity to enhance their learning through direct participation in research and scholarship. At UGA, these opportunities enable undergraduates to participate in ground-breaking research, often as part of a team of graduate students and faculty. In fact, many students can earn academic credit while working under an experienced faculty mentor by taking BIOL 4960R or working directly with the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO). The Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research Fellowship (BSURF) has been established to support undergraduate research opportunities in the Division of Biological Sciences within the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. The Fellowship provides financial assistance to a student who has not had an opportunity to participate in a mentored research experience (paid, volunteer, or for credit) since matriculating to The University of Georgia.