Joseph Magrino, MS

PhD candidate, Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

By Colleen Locke

Working alongside Brian Kelch, PhD, associate professor of biochemistry & molecular biotechnology, Joseph Magrino, MS, studies proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), a central factor in DNA replication and repair. More specifically, Magrino studies it in the context of a rare neurodegenerative disorder, PCNA-associated DNA repair disorder, which causes premature aging, difficulty walking and cognitive impairment.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Magrino connected with Mary Pickering, PhD’06, director of public engagement with science for the RNA Therapeutics Institute, who at the time was working in a lab on the same floor as Magrino. Dr. Pickering asked Magrino to volunteer for ScienceLIVE, the program she co-founded to bring hands-on experiments to Worcesterarea students who were attending school virtually. Magrino, who taught undergraduates at the University of New Haven while earning his master’s degree in cell and molecular biology, started out as a chat moderator.

”Kids are naturally curious, right? They want to know, ‘Is Jurassic Park coming back? Are we cloning humans?’” Magrino said.

Magrino was the first ScienceLIVE graduate student to do a virtual presentation in Worcester Public Schools in 2021 and the first to do inperson experiments with Pickering, including extracting DNA from bananas. Magrino has dyslexia, and because he struggled until a high school English teacher encouraged his writing, it was important for him to be an example and support for all types of learners.

“I think what most people need is one time when someone says, ‘Hey, you can do this.’”