CSETAC would like to recognize some of the student presentation winners from our 2018 Annual Meeting in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Shaza Gaballah, a post-baccalaureate researcher at the US Environmental Protection Agency in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina and the 3rd place student poster presentation winner, shares her current inspiration for pursuing a graduate degree in the furture.
My name is Shaza and I am currently working under Dr. Tamara Tal at the US Environmental Protection Agency in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. I recently graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2017) where I studied biology, chemistry and medical anthropology (the latter included almost all my favorite classes I took in college!). Currently, I am halfway through a two year post-baccalaureate fellowship through Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education.
The main project I am currently working on is to address developmental and neurodevelopmental impacts of exposure in zebrafish to per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), including GenX. GenX has recieved a lot of media and public attention this past year following its identification as a contaminant in Wilmington, NC drinking water supply. This project has sparked a deeper passion in me for toxicology and health risk assessment. I am currently planning to attend graduate school to study biomedical sciences, potentially focusing on toxicology and microbiology.
Outside of my research and love of science, I am ALWAYS excited to talk about my cat Olive, good food in the area, or the benefits of zebrafish as a model organism for environmental health risk assessment. If I’m not trapped indoors by the North Carolina humidity, I love hiking, doing sudokus or reading outside, and exploring the Triangle.