ESP Biography

ANNA POUKCHANSKI, PhD student in Microbiology and Immunology

Major: Microbiology and Immunology

College/Employer: Stanford

Year of Graduation: G

Brief Biographical Sketch:

Anya is a second year PhD student in Microbiology and Immunology in the Stanford Medical school. Before coming out to California and bowing to the superior weather conditions, Anya studied Cell Biology at MIT, where there was plenty of snow and unpleasant weather. But it was there, in the cold wintry Boston, that she discovered her love for research and teaching. The sunny weather is just a plus. When not in lab or in class (a rare occasion), Anya enjoys competitive ballroom dancing, baking, cooking, and board games.

Past Classes

(Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

S1098: Why do we get sick, and how do we get better? in Splash! Fall 2010 (Nov. 13 - 14, 2010)

You are under attack! Constantly. Every minute. Every second. Fungi, viruses, bacteria -- they all try to invade your body. The one thing keeping them at bay: your immune system. It works hard to fight them off, and is extremely successful. Find out what cells make up your immune system, how they function, how they protect you from viruses, bacteria, amoeba and other evil pathogens. And how some pathogens fight back...

S789: Why do we get sick, and how do we get better? -- Part I: The Big Picture in Splash! Spring 2010 (Apr. 17 - 18, 2010)

You are under attack! Constantly. Every minute. Every second. Fungi, viruses, bacteria — they all try to invade your body. The one thing keeping them at bay: your immune system. It works hard to fight them off, and is extremely successful. Find out what cells make up your immune system, how they function, how they protect you from viruses, bacteria, amoeba and other evil pathogens. And how some pathogens fight back… (This is part I and does not require any previous knowledge of biology. Come and learn about diseases and your immune system!)

S790: Why do we get sick, and how do we get better? -- Part II: some biology required in Splash! Spring 2010 (Apr. 17 - 18, 2010)

You are under attack! Constantly. Every minute. Every second. Fungi, viruses, bacteria — they all try to invade your body. The one thing keeping them at bay: your immune system. It works hard to fight them off, and is extremely successful. Find out what cells make up your immune system, how they function, how they protect you from viruses, bacteria, amoeba and other evil pathogens. And how some pathogens fight back… (Some biology required: know what DNA, RNA, proteins are; eukaryotic, prokaryotic. And then come and learn how they apply to diseases and immune systems.)

S617: Why do we get sick, and how do we get better? in Splash! Fall 2009 (Oct. 10 - 11, 2009)

S250: Internal Biowars 1 -- How Your Immune System Works in Splash! Spring 2009 (Apr. 04 - 05, 2009)

First of a series of two classes about the war between pathogens (disease causing organisms) and immune system. There is a war out there. And your immune system is at its front lines, fighting off bacteria, viruses, and anything else that wants to invade your body. It is extremely efficient (usually). Find out what cells make up your immune system, how they function, how they protect you from viruses, bacteria, amoeba and other evil pathogens.

S251: Internal Biowars 2 -- How The Pathogens Work in Splash! Spring 2009 (Apr. 04 - 05, 2009)

The second class in a series of two about the war between pathogens (disease causing organisms) and immune system. So your immune system can fight off some pathogens. It is a highly efficient mechanism, as you will discover in Part 1. Now find out how pathogens have evolved to fight back. We’ll discuss a variety of viruses and bacteria, including HIV, HSV, Black Death, Turberculosis, Ebola, and others. Come learn about the Dark Side!