Cornell Stories: Life Sciences
Nadia Drake '02 finds answers at the intersection of scientific disciplines.
Nadia Drake '02
Nadia Drake '02 used to dream about exploring the unknown. Now a doctoral candidate at Cornell, she is leveraging her graduate fellowships to help answer tough questions about genetics that could shed light on some of the most complex and mysterious health problems we face.
Cornell's Presidential Genomics Fellowship and Helen H. Gifft Fellowship have empowered Nadia to demand more of herself and to make the most of Cornell's interdisciplinary community and resources. "The fellowships have enabled me to explore the unknown by connecting different areas of science," says Nadia. "When I work at the intersection of disciplines, I find answers."
Her focus areas—genetics and genomic imprinting—are key to understanding gene regulation in cancer cells. Some of Nadia's work may also provide clues about memory formation or about learning disorders like dyslexia.
"I always enjoyed reading about research, but I was afraid to do it," she says. "Now that I am a researcher and can get results, it's inspiring. I can—and so could others—make the world better, because of the fellowships and because of the people at Cornell who have supported me."