Noah Reger
Graduate Student, The Welte Lab
You work in a laboratory. What are you currently researching?
I am currently investigating how the histone chaperone Anp32e functions during early development to regulate H2A.Z levels in chromatin.
What was it that originally sparked your interest in biology?
I have always liked animals and, when I was young, I wanted to be a veterinarian. As I grew older, my interests started to shift to a more theoretical realm. I became very interested in questions about consciousness and what it means to be human. This drove me to the field of neuroscience where I started to develop a broader interest in biology in general.
What’s the most important thing that you’ve learned working here and/or studying biology?
I think an important lesson to be learned from biology is that everything comes at a cost. Even small changes in complex systems can have major downstream effects.
How do you unwind when you’re not in the lab?
I am a member of a science fiction bookclub as well as a bowling league. I also like to paint and do the occasional woodworking project (mostly birdhouses and feeders). When the weather is nice, I like to spend time in my garden watching the birds, butterflies, and chipmunks. I also have a rabbit who insists on chewing through my laptop charger.
What is one thing about yourself that you’d like more people to know?
I am a strong supporter of the Oxford comma and a proponent of the liberal use of Em dashes (Edgar Allan Poe fans know what I mean).