A Poughkeepsie, NY native, Sam Olyha will graduate from Cornell University in May 2014 with a degree in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Neurobiology. She has conducted research at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute on embryonic stem cell-derived cardiac muscle cells and at Cornell on the effect of stem cell differentiation defects on muscular dystrophy. Outside the lab, she is a pentathlete/heptathlete on the track and field team, a biology student advisor, a leader for the comparative physiology study group on campus, and is involved with turtle conservation. At Oxford, Sam will pursue an MSc by research in Oncology.