User:Anthony Salvagno/PhD Dissertation/Acknowledgments

Chapters: Acknowledgments | Introduction | Optical Tweezers | Intro to DNA | Single Molecule Analysis of DNA | Shotgun DNA Mapping | Appendix | References
First and foremost I'd like to thank my advisor Steve Koch. I thought I had no hope for finding a project that I was genuinely interested. He presented his research to the Physics and Astronomy grad students and I did not completely understand what he did and why it was useful or interesting. One day I was talking to my friend Larry after teaching lab and in walked Dr. Koch with all his knowledge and wisdom about... the Detroit Tigers. Soon after he pursued me to join his upstart lab along with Larry and while I still had no understanding of his research I decided to go for the ride. Needless to say, now I do understand the research and it's importance and without Steve's guidance I would not be where I am right now.

Dr. Koch is one of the only professors that I've met that has taken the time and effort to understand his students, their inner workings, their motivations, and their passions. He has supported my interests since joining the lab and has allowed me to evolve naturally in my studies. He introduced me to the wonderful world of molecular biology. Steve also introduced me to open science which awakened a monster inside me that craved the fame and global recognition that only the internet could provide (don't believe me, Google "Anthony Salvagno" and see just how famous I am now!). I am truly grateful for everything that you've provided for me and honored that I could be your student and your friend.

I would also like to thank the Osley Lab. Mary Ann Osley took me into her lab and gave me a space to learn all the crucial inner workings of molecular biology. She saw something in Koch, and our research that no one else would and believed in our techniques. Kelly Trujillo gave up valuable time in his own research to teach me the fundamental protocols necessary for my project. Luckily as an avid Cowboys fan he forgave my transgressions (for being a Giant's fan) and let me near his bench in the first place.

I also have some nice words for the KochLab members as well. First, Larry Herskowitz (mentioned above) has been my best friend since our undergrad days and we embarked on this journey into the unknown together. We spent many countless hours studying our brains out, laughing together, and even crying together if the situation arose. He is my partner in crime and my pal. Andy Maloney joined the lab a couple years after the KochLab formation and took the lab by storm with his incessant cleaning and organization. Without that the lab would be a disaster and quite the stressful place to work. We also developed a bond over our mutual enjoyment of food, particularly donuts, and art. Coincidentally he was also the very first person I met in ABQ, but at that time I just thought he was weird. Pranav Rathi is perhaps the most interesting person in the lab. He has the unique ability to make anything out of anything. When we hit a brick wall with our research we could get lost in though and hypothesis for hours and we shared many great conversations. To all of you I thank you for helping me forge this journey. To all the others in KochLab: Brian Josey, Linh Le, Nadia Fernandez-Oropeza, it was great knowing you all and spending countless hours daunting over our work. I hope I was as beneficial to you as you were to me.

I'd like to thank Brad Chase for being a great friend. His interior dominance and handy glasswork made him an integral cog in our intramural basketball endeavors. There is no other man I would rather walk into (and back out) the Grand Canyon with.

Finally I'd like to thank my family. Besides providing me with life, my parents supported me unconditionally as I decided to leave NY for an extended while to make for browner (because there is no green here in ABQ) pastures in the Southwest. My younger brother on the other hand, helped shape my development into a strong and fit individual. Without our loving hatred for each other I would not be the man I am today. Last but not least, I'd like to honor my girlfriend Stefanie. If I hadn't met her I would have probably quit grad school from frustration and unhappiness. She gave me the motivation needed to succeed and persist.

In an aside, I'd like to thank various material objects that have kept me going:

• Adobe Illustrator
• A basketball
• The Knicks - although they've been so bad for so long that they might have been my undoing
• My Xbox