ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

 The work illustrated in this dissertation and my growth as a scientist could not have

been accomplished without the guidance, encouragement and support of several people

on both the professional and personal levels. The first person I would like to thank is my

mentor, Dr. Brian Cain. He allowed me to join his laboratory when I was fresh out of

college, even though I had no real experiences in a scientific lab. He exhibited extreme

patience while teaching me everything from how to hold and operate a pipette to pouring

agarose gels to cloning my own plasmids. His evident passion and excitement about

science opened my eyes to a whole new world of opportunity. Prior to joining his

laboratory, I had never even dreamed of joining graduate school and pursuing a PhD;

therefore, I feel extreme gratitude and consider myself very fortunate to have j oined his

lab. Once I joined the lab, Dr. Cain allowed me the freedom to make my own initial

scientific and experimental decisions, which was an excellent teaching method for me,

but he was always there for guidance and support whenever it was needed. I would also

like to thank him for being so involved in his lab. On any given day, I knew I could have

his undivided attention if I needed to consult with him. Over the years Dr. Cain has spent

a tremendous amount of time teaching me to think critically about scientific experiments,

how to communicate my data and ideas to others, how to give a professional scientific

presentation, and how to write scientific papers, and for those countless hours I thank

him.