Carl Skoog

My name is Carl Skoog and I am from West Des Moines, Iowa. I am currently a Junior Biomedical Science major at the University of Iowa with aspirations of attending Medical School. Outside of school my interests and hobbies include music, fitness, cooking, and film. Other activities I’m involved with at the University include UIHC Volunteering Student Leader Board, UI Intramural’s, and Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity.

The goal of my current research project is to better understand the mechanisms behind Cooperative Transcription Factor Binding. We study the model organisms Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida glabrata as they are both highly similar yeast species showcasing cooperative TF binding when subjected to phosphate starvation. Through the process of gene regulatory evolution, the former species C. glabrata has become independent of its co-activator. This allows C. glabrata to expand its gene targets and function at a high capacity as a human commensal pathogen. We hope that by understanding how this organism achieved its independence through gene evolution, we might be able to better understand how organisms adapt to stressful environments.