A Modular Approach to the Histone H2A Family of Antimicrobial Peptides

Acknowledgments First, I would like to thank my adviser, Don Elmore, for all of his excellent advice about science, grad school, and life in general. Thank you for letting me join your lab, for forgiving my terrible jokes, and for helping me figure out what I want to do with my life. Thank you for being one of the people that has made my (somewhat brief) time at Wellesley so memorable. I would also like to thank my committee members, Didem Vardar-Ulu and Chris Arumainayagam, for their excellent suggestions and advice. I could never have made it to this point without Katie Pavia and Sara Spinella, who were my first mentors in the Elmore lab, and gave me an invaluable crash course in troubleshooting Wellesley lab equipment. Maria Bustillo, my thesis buddy extraordinaire, also deserves a huge thanks. You have been an excellent friend, and you have improved my thesis experience by several orders of magnitude. being the best labmates a scientist could ask for. Outside of lab, I have to thank Kellen, Smaranda, Rosie, Ashton, and Becca for helping me retain my sanity during this crazy year. Special thanks to Kellen and Smaranda for listening to me complain constantly and for loving me anyway. Thank you for sharing so many meals, movies, and late nights in the science center with me. Lastly, I would like to thank my wonderful family. I am so grateful to have such a wonderful support network, especially one that can make me laugh as much as you do. Thank you Mom, for making me want to excel at everything I do, and thank you Dad, for reminding me to take some time off occasionally. Finally, thank you Katie, for being the best source of inspiration. I hope you are as proud of me as I am of you.