Concentration: Translational Medicine
Faculty Mentor: Heidi Reesink 
 

Brief Biography
Sydney is originally from Lexington, South Carolina, where she grew up riding horses and spending time at the barn. Her love of math and biology in high school inspired her to study Biomedical Engineering at the University of South Carolina (USC), receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in 2021. After her first year in undergrad, she joined Dr. Francis Spinale's laboratory at the USC School of Medicine, where she studied protein kinetics in heart failure. She was introduced to comparative medicine through her work in the Spinale Lab and after participating in a summer research experience for undergraduates at the University of Rochester, where she studied mesenchymal stem cell differentiation, she realized that a career in veterinary research would allow her to combine her interests in engineering, biology, and animals. Since joining the Combined Degree program, she has fallen in love with the nature in Central NY and in her free time, she loves to spend time outdoors by hiking, rock climbing, running, and getting to know the lively Ithaca community as a bassoonist in the Ithaca Community Orchestra.

Education
B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, Minor in Mathematics, Performance Certificate in Bassoon, University of South Carolina, 2021
Graduated with Honors from the University of South Carolina Honors College and with Leadership Distinction in Research

Research Interests
Sydney's first research experience was with Dr. Spinale at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, where she investigated the role of fibroblast activation protein in heart failure. She also participated in summer research at the University of Rochester with Dr. Danielle Benoit where she researched mesenchymal stem cell differentiation. Finally, she designed a research project in laboratory animal welfare with the laboratory animal veterinarian, Dr. Shayne Barlow, at UofSC. With a varied background in research topics, Sydney is looking forward to further work in another area of interest, orthopedics. She hopes to incorporate her background in engineering to explore comparative and interdisciplinary approaches to problems in veterinary and human medicine.