Kayleighlyn T. Bradley

Kayleighlyn T. Bradley has been interested in the sciences from a young age. However, it was not until she attended school at Georgia College & State University that she realized her true passion for Biological sciences. During her undergraduate career, she was involved with Dr. Mike Gleason’s research team. This team of students focused their research on prion-based neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, and aimed their goals at searching for natural based, chemical treatments to dislodge the protein plaques associated with prions in order to inhibit these diseases and their rapid spread through the human neurological system. The majority of the research focused on using proteins isolated from yeast that were then introduced into bacterial systems containing prion-like substrates to encourage the reuptake of healthy proteins by the bacteria, which in theory, would allow for the rehabilitation of existing, misshapen prions, and the production of new, healthy prions. During this time, she was also a member of the Pre-Medical club, as well as being a Spanish minor, and participating in the Spanish Club.

 Furthermore, during her undergraduate career, Kayleigh interned at Family Medicine of Milledgeville, a public health clinic, under the supervision of Dr. Peter LaVine. During this time, Kayleigh found her true calling, research concerning public health with specific regards to microbiology and epidemiology.  After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Spanish minor from GCSU, Kayleigh decided to continue to pursue her career in research and began the Master of Science program in Biology at GCSU with a specific focus in microbiology. Under the supervision of Dr. Dave Bachoon, she studied the bacterium Campylobacter coli in feral pig species in Georgia, as this is a growing concern for human health in the public sector. During her tenure, she presented at the Georgia College Graduate Research Conference, defending both a poster project and paper. Currently, she is working to have her Master’s thesis published in a scientific journal, in order to, pursue a PhD in Microbiology, Epidemiology, or Biomedical Sciences 

Through her work in both undergraduate and graduate studies, Kayleigh became aware of the importance for continuing research and development, not only in the fields of microbiology, epidemiology, and public health, but also in the areas of other sciences, technology, and engineering. This awareness led to the creation of S.T.A.R.K Inc. Understanding how important the STEM field is, Kayleigh also has a desire to instill a want to pursue careers in these fields in upcoming students, especially women, as they are underrepresented currently, and underprivileged youth. It is with this in mind that a goal for the future is to begin a non-profit organization, STEM Beyond Tomorrow, to allow these students access into the STEM field and inspire them to become future leaders in research and developmental sciences, medicine, technology, engineering, and mathematics.