Education 

 

Postdoctoral Fellow, Duke University (Durham, NC), February 2004-present.

Advisor: Dr. Alejandro Aballay, Ph.D.

Current research: Role of putative lectin domain-containing genes in the infection of C. elegans by Salmonella enterica  

 

Graduate student, UNC-Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill, NC), August 1999-January 2004. Awarded Ph.D. in May 2004

Advisor: Dr. Jeffrey Frelinger, Ph.D.

Dissertation title: Coreceptor Usage and Costimulation in CD8⁺ T Cell Activation

 

Undergraduate student, Furman University (Greenville, SC), Sept. 1995-May 1999. Awarded B.S., Biology and B.A. German 

 

 

Teaching Experience 

 

Teaching Assistant, Medical Immunology (UNC-CH Medical School) Fall 2001-2003 

 

 Tutor, Introductory Medical Microbiology (UNC-CH Nursing School) Spring 2003 

 

 Tutor, Medical Immunology (UNC-CH Medical School) Fall 2002 

 

Teaching Assistant, Immunology Seminar/Tutorial (UNC-CH Medical School) Fall 2002 

 

Teaching Assistant, UNC-CH, collaboration with Chapel Hill High School, March 2002 

 

Teaching Assistant, Introductory Medical Microbiology (UNC-CH Nursing School) Spring and Fall 2001 

 

Furman Advantage Teaching Fellow, Fall 1998 (Immunology) and Winter 1999 (Cell Biology) 

 Laboratory Assistant, Introductory Biology (Furman University), 5 trimesters 1997-1999 

 

Laboratory Assistant, Cell Biology (Furman University), 2 trimesters in 1998 

 

 

Mentoring Experience

 

Alejandro Torres Hernandez, sophomore Biology major (Duke University), Biology Independent Study, May 2004-August 2004. Project: Characterization of 5 putative lectin proteins that are involved in the susceptibility of C. elegans to Salmonella enterica.

 

 

Teaching Portfolio

 

Available online at www.geocities.com/samiam142, and by request.  Contains descriptions of teaching responsibilities, evaluations and my philosophy of teaching.

 

 

Research Experience 

 

Current focus: Role of putative lectin domain-containing genes in the infection of C. elegans by Salmonella enterica (serovar typhimurium)

 

Dissertation: Coreceptor Usage and Costimulation in CD8⁺ T Cell Activation 

 

Immunology research: Role of B7-1 and IL-12 in the Clearance of Brain Tumors

                                        Effects of Echinacea on the immune system

 

Familiar Research Techniques:  flow cytometry, magnetic activated cell sorting (MACS), confocal microscopy, calcium mobilization assays, proliferation assays ([3H]-thymidine and CFSE), kinase assays, CTL assays, mouse handling and injection, C. elegans manipulation,  LCMV, cell culture, PCR, cloning, agarose and PAGE gels, western blotting. 

 

 

Professional Organizations 

 

 American Association of Immunologists, trainee member, 2002-present 

 

 American Society for Microbiology, 2004-present 

 

 Council for Undergraduate Research, student member 2002-present 

 

Association of Southeaster Biologists 2002-2003

 

 Honors and Awards 

 

UNC Graduate School travel award, 2003 

 

ASB travel award, 2003 

 

NIH Training grant (2000-2003) 

 

NSF undergraduate award, 1999 

 

Furman Advantage Teaching Fellowship 1998-1999 

                                                    

Furman Advantage Research Fellowship, 1998 

 

 

 

Service 

                                                                       

UNC Immunology Journal Club Coordinator, 2002-2003

 

Faculty meetings, graduate student representative (Dept of Microbiology and Immunology UNC-CH) 2002-2003 

 

Admissions Committee, graduate student representative (Dept. of Microbiology and Immunology UNC-CH) 2001-2002 

 

Internal Departmental Review Committee (Dept of Microbiology and Immunology UNC-CH) 2001 

 

Faculty Search Committee, student representative (Dept of Biology Furman University) 1998 

 

 

Publications 

 

J. Buslepp, S. E. Kerry, D. Loftus, J. A. Frelinger, E. Appella, and E. J. Collins.  High affinity xenoreactive TCR:MHC interaction recruits CD8 in the absence of binding to MHC (Journal of Immunology 2003 170(1):373) 

 

S.E. Kerry, J. Buslepp, L.A. Cramer, R. Maile, L.L. Hensley, A.I. Nielsen, B.J. Vilen, P. Kavathas, E.J. Collins and J.A. Frelinger. Interplay between TCR affinity and necessity of CD8 engagement: high-affinity peptide-MHC:TCR overcomes lack of CD8 engagement (Journal of Immunology 2003 171(9): 4493)   

 

 S.E. Kerry, R. Maile, E.J. Collins and J.A. Frelinger. CD8 coreceptor requirements of naive and memory CD8⁺ T cells (submitted). 

 

Robert Maile, Catherine A. Siler, Samantha E. Kerry, Katherine E. Midkiff, Edward J. Collins and Jeffrey A. Frelinger. Impact of pMHC/TCR affinity and levels of CD8 coreceptor on the “affinity threshold” of antigen specific CD8+ T cell stimulation (submitted).

 

S.E. Kerry, L.A. Cramer, L.L. Hensley, B. J. Vilen, E. J. Collins and J. A. Frelinger. Co-localization of TcR and CD28 into Lipid Rafts Obviates the Need for CD28 Engagement (in preparation). 

 

 

Oral Presentations 

 

Kerry, S.E. Role of CD8 coreceptor in CD8+ T cell activation: It's all about affinity. Furman University Seminar Series, October 2003 

 

Kerry SE, R Maile and J.A. Frelinger. A Cumulative Signal Over Time Compensates for Lack of CD8 Engagement in High Affinity pMHC/TCR Interactions. American Association of Immunologists 90^th Annual Meeting, May 2003, Denver, CO, USA 

 

 Kerry, Samantha E. and Jeffrey A. Frelinger.  Role of CD8 coreceptor in CD8⁺ T cell activation: it's all about affinity. Association of Southeastern Biologists 64th Annual Meeting, April 2003, Arlington, VA, USA 

 

 

Published Abstracts  

 

 S.L. Elliott, L.A. Cramer, J. Buslepp, R. Maile, L.L. Hensley, A. I. Nielsen, B.J. Vilen, P. Kavathas, E.J. Collins and J.A. Frelinger. Increased Affinity of class I MHC/TCR Overcomes Lack of CD8 Engagement (FASEB Experimental Biology meeting, April 2002, New Orleans, LA USA) 

 

 L.A. Cramer, S.L. Elliott, B.J. Vilen, E.J. Collins and J.A. Frelinger. Ligation of TcR by MHC tetramer induces association of TcR, CD28 and CD8.  Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599.  (11th International Congress of Immunology, July 2001, Sweden). 

 

 K. Simpson, M. Coleman, S. Elliott, S. Fadel, B.J. Jordan and S.J. Hudson. Echinacea Treatment Enhances Natural Killer Cell Cytotoxicity and Restricts Tumor Cell Growth in BALB/c Mice. Department of Biology, Furman University, Greenville, SC 29613. (FASEB Experimental Biology meeting March 2001, Orlando, FL USA) 

 

 

 

References

                 

Available upon request