The Department is delighted to recognize the 2025 awardee of the The Elizabeth Wagner Scholarship.

Carli Genova earned the award to complete research in the lab of Dr. Helen Chamberlin. Her project focuses on assessment of oncogenic variants of human RAS proteins in transgenic C. elegans nematodes. Carli has presented her work in several venues, including our 2025 open house. She has served as an undergraduate teaching assistant in several Molecular Genetics Courses, and is a student representative to the Molecular Genetics Community, Access, Relations, and Engagement (CARE) Committee. 

We asked Carli a few questions about her experiences at OSU

Why did you pick Molecular Genetics at OSU?         
I chose to study Molecular Genetics at OSU because of the many research opportunities available. Our faculty encourage undergraduate students to get involved in research, allowing us to engage in the field deeply and apply our knowledge in a meaningful way. 

What excites you most about being involved in research?
Research in genetics presents challenges and obstacles that require perseverance and creative problem solving. Because overcoming these challenges requires such intentional effort, the final resolution is incredibly rewarding. Working towards solving tough problems, big and small, makes research exciting and interesting. 

This award was  funded by the The Elizabeth Wagner Scholarship fund.

Elizabeth Wagner was born in 1912. She earned her bachelor’s degree at OSU in 1933, putting herself through school with a scholarship and a job washing dishes in the cafeteria. She then earned a master’s (1934) and a Ph.D. (1936) in plant physiology, publishing works on the effects of insecticides and inert dusts on bean plants and on yellow coleus. She went on to marry geneticist Sheldon C. Reed, and together they were pioneers for the use of Drosophila in population genetics studies, as well as becoming early proponents of genetic counseling.

Dr. Wagner Reed also published works investigating the effects of sexism on women scientists including a study on the productivity and work of 70 female scientists, and a book entitled American Women in Science Before the Civil War. This work informed her mentorship of younger women through the group Graduate Women in Science.

The  Elizabeth Wagner Scholarship fund was endowed in 2002 by  her son William Reed of Seattle. Consider supporting the fund here.