Shannon Chou Named 2024 Paul and James Wang - Sercomm Graduate

By focusing on the smallest aspects of cell biology, Carnegie Mellon University graduate student Shannon Chou will make a big impact on the life sciences one day.

Chou researches the cytoskeleton, a filamentous network in all animal cells and other eukaryotes, with a focus on two specific components: actin filaments and microtubules. Her work in the Department of Biological Sciences seeks to understand how these cytoskeletal components are being regulated during oogenesis.

"As a cell biologist, I think all important discoveries are made by studying these fundamental cellular processes and mechanisms, trying to understand how they work and seeing how they drive larger biological processes," Chou said.

Chou conducts her research in McCartney Lab, led by Brooke McCartney, associate professor.

"Understanding how normal cells work is a prerequisite to understanding cellular dysfunctions and developing effective treatment strategies," McCartney said. "A significant gap in our understanding of the cytoskeleton is how different cytoskeletal networks interact and coregulate, and that's exactly where Shannon is focusing her attention."

The lab uses a drosophila model (fruit flies) to study the cytoskeletal processes within a living organism (in vivo).

"Working with something in vivo in fruit flies has advantages because it's amenable to experimentation and easy to translate in higher organisms, even humans," Chou said.

Results from her work could have broad impacts. Drug design and discovery, for example, often rely on the knowledge cell biologists like Chou provide.

Chou was born and raised in Taiwan, where she completed her undergraduate degree before choosing Carnegie Mellon for graduate school.

"I met really good teachers when I was in undergrad who taught me the fundamentals of science, but at Carnegie Mellon I met really great mentors who were not teaching me just science but teaching me a way of thinking about science," Chou said.

McCartney said that Chou is a motivated and accomplished graduate student.

"Coupled with her scientific rigor, well-developed critical thinking skills, and creativity, there is no doubt in my mind that Shannon will make continued, significant contributions to our field and beyond," McCartney said.

Chou presented a poster titled "Microtubules and Microtubule-associated Proteins Regulate Actin Cable Assembly, Cortical Association, and Stability" at Cell Bio, a joint meeting of the American Society of Cell Biology (ASCB) and European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) in December 2023.

She presented two posters and delivered an invited short talk titled "Actin-Microtubule Interplay Regulates Actin Cable Assembly during Oogenesis" at Cell Bio 2024. Her participation was funded by her department's Margaret Carver Travel Award and a travel award from the ASCB.

"Opportunities to present work have been some of my greatest moments in graduate school because people just come up and talk to you about a project that you're really passionate about, and some of these people are great figures in the world of cell biology," Chou said. "I always come back with so many ideas."

Chou plans to earn her doctorate in 2025.

"Sharing your research is one of the greatest pleasures of being a scientist," she said.

Through her commitment to research, Chou was named this year's Paul and James Wang - Sercomm Graduate. Carnegie Mellon bestows this honor on a graduate student who shows dedication and a commitment to excellence.

The award was established by two Carnegie Mellon alumni in support of Ph.D. students in Mellon College of Science, College of Engineering, School of Computer Science and Tepper School of Business. Paul Wang co-founded Sercomm Corporation with several high-tech experts in 1992 and served the position of chairman for nearly 30 years. In 2000, Paul invited James Wang to serve as CEO of Sercomm Corporation, and over the next 21 years, they grew the company into a multibillion-dollar business with a 22% CAGR. James steered Sercomm through significant market disruptions, achieving global leadership in networking equipment for broadband communications. In 2022, Paul was named Honorary Chairman by the board, recognizing his dedication and steadfast chairmanship, while James was elected by the board of directors as chairman.