Major Professor: Peters
Email: sayre.barron@ou.edu
Hometown:
Cleveland, MS
High School:
Cleveland High School
Education:
B.S., University of Southern Mississippi
I have always been curious about how stuff works, so science classes were always my favorite in high school. I decided to major in biology in college but changed to chemistry my sophomore year because of organic chemistry. Learning how stereochemistry changes how drugs interact with our bodies was so interesting to learn. Once I changed my major to chemistry, I enjoyed taking classes on medicinal chemistry and biochemistry because I was interested in the drug discovery process and mechanisms of action.
When I first got to OU, I was introduced to idea of structural biology and looking into the 3D structure of proteins. I wanted to join a lab where I could focus on understanding the structure of proteins and their interactions with small molecules as well as other proteins. I joined the Peters lab where I seek to structurally characterize the NifLA system of A. vinelandii. This system is responsible for the regulation of the nitrogenase enzyme. The NifLA system responds to several intracellular stimuli making it a fascinating and challenging system to study. My goal is to determine the structures of the parts of this system and how they interact and change based on nitrogen levels, oxygen presence, and redox status.
