Mariana Castillo

Mariana Castillo has been working since 2018. Mariana began as an Undergraduate Research Assistant at North Carolina State University, where they routinely passaged mammalian cells and human monocyte cells, regularly autoclaved equipment as well as trash for proper disposal, and prepared sterile media and solutions for laboratory use. Mariana also served as a Tutor. In 2020, they became President of Alpha Phi Gamma Sorority, Inc., where they maintained and exceeded university and sorority standards by transitioning all yearly activities and events to an online format during the COVID-19 pandemic, organized and managed the chapter to efficiently communicate with the 96 members of the sorority, and delegated tasks to an active house of around 20 members. In 2021, they began working for Altis Biosystems as a Research Associate and Research Technician. Mariana also returned to North Carolina State University as an Undergraduate Research Assistant, where they planned and executed an independent project of adapting C710 and C636 mosquito cells to grow in serum free media by gradually increasing the percentage of serum free media, assessed the cells' health and progress on a daily basis, and used critical thinking to determine when to increase the percentage of serum-free media. Mariana also maintained a detailed lab notebook recording observations and progress made each day as well as questions and hypotheses for potential further research.

Mariana Castillo attended North Carolina State University from 2017 to 2021 and obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry.