About this Book
This book is intended for anyone with a good understanding of college-level introductory biology.
This project was born out of Dr. Mattaini’s experience developing her Biology of Cancer class in Spring 2021. In the syllabus, Dr. Mattaini reveals her two big-picture goals for the course: “First, I would like you to learn enough basics of cancer biology to be able to independently research and answer your future questions about cancer. Second, I will also support you as you strive to become a more nuanced reader of the primary literature, especially as it relates to cancer biology.” The students in the course have all taken an introductory genetics course, but they can be sophomores to seniors, and so have varied levels of experience with the primary literature. To support them in their reading, Dr. Mattaini discovered that it would be useful to have one central and undergraduate-level resource that simply explained the various techniques that the students would encounter while reading the primary literature.
This is a living document that will be updated organically as need arises and time permits. Comments, critiques, suggestions for new content, and welcome offers to collaborate can be directed to kmattaini@rwu.edu.
About the Author
Dr. Katherine (Katie) Mattaini is a Lecturer of Biology in the Department of Biology, Marine Biology, and Environmental Science at Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI.
She received her B.S. in Chemistry from Providence College, RI, in 2008, and her Ph.D. in Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MA, in 2015. Her undergraduate research experiences included work on organic synthesis and recombinant protein expression in the lab of Dr. Jay Pike, Providence College, and work on assay development in the Mayo Clinic Proteomics Research Center, Rochester, MN, advised by Dr. Robert Bergen. Before graduate school, Dr. Mattaini spent one year as a post-baccalaureate Cancer Research Training Fellow at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, MD, in the lab of Dr. Kent Hunter, researching genes associated with breast cancer metastasis. During her graduate work, Dr. Mattaini studied the role of phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH) as a metabolic oncogene in the lab of Dr. Matthew Vander Heiden. This work ranged from protein biochemistry to the development of a new genetically engineered mouse model. Finally, she became a post-doctoral scholar in the lab of Dr. Karl Munger at Tufts University, Boston, MA. There she studied the effect of the HPV oncoproteins E6 and E7 on cell metabolism. During her post-doctoral fellowship, Dr. Mattaini participated in the TEACRS (now Tufts IRACDA) program, gaining experience in pedagogy, teaching, inclusive practices, and other important skills. Her broad research experience from chemistry to mouse work has prepared her well for teaching undergraduates, which she considers her calling in life.
Beginning in 2017, Dr. Mattaini spent one year as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA. There, she taught Biochemistry I and II, and cancer biology for non-science majors. Since 2018, she has had the joy and privilege of teaching undergraduates full time at Roger Williams University, as well as coordinating the introductory biology lab sequence since fall 2019. She currently teaches Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Biology (BIO103) lecture and lab, Introduction to Evolution and Ecology (BIO104) lecture and lab, and Biology of Cancer.
Last updated April 11, 2022.
