Janeth J. Peña
PhD. Candidate in Biology
University of New Mexico
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Research Experience
August 2011-Present University of New Mexico- Department of Biology
Ph.D program
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Exploring hemocyanin as a possible immune factor in the planorbid snail Biomphalaria glabrata, an intermediate host for the disease schistosomiasis.
August 2009- August 2011 University of New Mexico- Department of Biology
Post-baccalaureate Program- UNM PREP
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Worked with the transcription factor c-Myb, using flow cytometry and Chromatin Immunoprecipitation (ChIP) to determine what genes it binds during the phases of the cell cycle.
May 2008- July 2009 University of Texas at El Paso- Department of Biological Sciences
Biology Undergraduate Research Training Program- BURS
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Used cloning techniques to produce a point mutation in the protein Ledgfp75 to validate a motif that would interact with the protein modifier SUMO-1.
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Fellowships/Grants
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Initiative for Maximizing Student Development (IMSD) PhD. Fellow - Stipend August 2017- May 2018
$2000 Grove Scholarship for research funds. April 20017
Latin American and Iberian Institute PhD. Fellowship – Stipend and Tuition. August 2015- May 2016
Latin American and Iberian Institute PhD. Fellowship – Stipend and Tuition. August 2014- May 2015
$2000 Grove Scholarship for research and traveling funds. April 2014
$1000 Research scholarship for research funds. April 2013
UNM Post-baccalaureate Fellowship. August 2009- August 2011
Biology Undergraduate Research Training Fellowship. November 2008-July 2009
Research Experience for Undergraduate Fellowship. Summer 2008
Outreach
STEM Gateway and STEM UP Advancement Summit: Building upon lessons learned to improve STEM education
Co-Vice Chair for Essential Academic Skill Enhancement (EASE) task force.
April 2017
Diversity STEM Brown Bag
Spoke on the importance of fostering diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics(STEM) fields of study.
January 2016
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STEM Leadership Symposium
Promoted growth of the Latin community in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
September 2013
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University of Texas at El Paso Research Showcase.
Acted as a representative for UTEP by presenting my research to the Texas Board of Reagents.
December 2008
Honors/Awards
Research Day
1st place in Oral Presentation Award
Outstanding Oral Presentation
April 2015
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Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)
Outstanding Poster Presentation in the Field of Microbiology
October 2008
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Publications
Peña JJ and Adema CM. The planorbid snail Biomphalaria glabrata expresses a hemocyanin-like sequence in the albumen gland. (PLOS ONE). 2016
Adema CM, Peña JJ [85]. Whole genome analysis of a schistosomiasis-transmitting freshwater snail. (Submitted to Nature Communications). 2016
Anita M. Quintana, Ye E. Zhou, Janeth J. Peña, John P. O'Rourke, Scott Ness. Dramatic repositioning of c-Myb to different promoters during the cell cycle observed by combining cell sorting with chromatin immunoprecipitation. PLoS ONE (2010). PubLink
Posters
Janeth J. Peña and Coen M. Adema. Tracking a putative novel category copper type 3 protein across evolution of snails (Hygrophila) by comparative genomics. Presented at National IDeA Symposium of Biomedical Research Excellence. (2016)
Janeth J. Peña. Unexpected presence of blue-pigment protein in the red blooded snail Biomphalaria glabrata. Presented at Research Day, Biology Department, University of New Mexico (2015).
Janeth J. Peña and Coen M. Adema. Hemocyanin-like sequences in Biomphalaria glabrata, snail intermediate host for Schistosoma mansoni. Presented at the American Society of Parasitologist (2014).
Adema CM, Zhang S-M, Schultz J, Peña JJ. Detection of cercariae for tracking transmission of schistosomiasis. Poster at the American Society of Parasitologists (2014).
Janeth J. Peña and Coen M. Adema. Computation and experimental characterization of blue hemocyanin in the red-blooded snail Biomphalaria glabrata. Presented at the NMBIST Symposium on Genome Dynamics (2013).
Anita M. Quintana, Janeth J. Peña, and Scott A. Ness. Changes in c-Myb specificity and activity during the cell cycle in T-ALL and AML. Presented at the American Association of Cancer Research (2010).
Janeth Cortéz, Murilo Bueno, and Manuel Llano. VALIDATION OF A LYSINE RESIDUE AS A TARGET FOR SUMO-1 MODIFICATION IN LEDGF/p75 AND p52. Presented at the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (2008).