Making Stem Cells from Skin | Leah Foltz

Have you ever wondered how stem cells work? Let’s explore the past two decades of scientific breakthroughs and what researchers are doing now. Learn about how making stem cells from skin is allowing us to study degenerative diseases in a whole new way.

Leah earned her BS degree in biochemistry and molecular biology at UC Santa Barbara and is currently pursuing her PhD in biomolecular science and engineering also at UCSB. She is currently studying the cellular mechanisms of an inherited blinding disease that affects teenagers and young adults As an undergraduate researcher and Worster Award recipient, she performed genetic analysis of frogs. She completed her BS with distinction in the major and was the student speaker at the 2013 UCSB life sciences commencement ceremony.

Leah is a Garland Scholar, Crossroads Fellow, recipient of the Breaux Fellowship, and recently won the UCSB Grad Slam Grand Prize for the best 3-minute talk. She then went on in May of 2017 to win people’s choice at the UC-wide Grad Slam competition. She is a member of the Women in Science and Engineering club at UCSB and is the teaching assistant for stem cell biology, where she teaches undergraduates how to present research in an understandable and concise format.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx