Speaker:

Heather Masson-Forsythe

Event Description:

Investigating how COVID-19 proteins stick to viral RNA and taking research from the lab to the dance floor

The SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid phosphoprotein (CoV-N) is essential for virus assembly, replication, and transcription. CoV-N is flexible but contains two structured RNA binding domains, but the functional implications of having two structurally independent binding domains remain unclear, as do the features that determine RNA-binding specificity and CoV-N/RNA organization within the ribonucleocapsid. Using a variety of biophysical and biochemical techniques, Heather, along with other members of the Barbar lab research team, characterized the nucleocapsid phosphoprotein and protein-RNA interactions.

Throughout the research project, Heather used the social media app, TikTok, to document what it’s like to be a scientist trying to make research contributions to the ongoing global pandemic, and has accumulated over fifty-thousand followers and created many videos reaching hundreds of thousands of views.

Mostly relying on dance, Heather made videos showing CoV-N going through numerous techniques. Additionally, she answered questions about the scientific process, described what it’s like to be a scientist, curbed vaccine fears, and when her work was published, walked her followers through each figure in a video series.

Additionally, Heather turned her COVID-19 research project into a dance and submitted this to the annual, international contest hosted by Science Magazine, “Dance Your Ph.D.”, winning the new COVID-19 prize, and receiving tens-of-thousands of views on YouTube.

Sponsors of the OSU Science Pub include OSU and OSU-Cascades, and OMSI, with production by Connect Central Oregon.