Splash Biography



RACHAEL PUTMAN, Yale junior studying biomedical engineering




Major: Biomedical Engineering

College/Employer: Yale

Year of Graduation: 2019

Picture of Rachael Putman

Brief Biographical Sketch:

Senior at Yale college majoring in biomedical engineering and doing premedical studies. Engaged in research in a biomedical laboratory working on in utero gene editing. Also teach for Yale Demos, which teaches science concepts to elementary school students using fun demonstrations and interactive activities.



Past Classes

  (Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

E3295: Genetics in Sprout Fall 18 (Sep. 29 - Oct. 13, 2018)
Have you ever wondered about what genes are? Or how information from your parents is passed on to you? Or how the environment influences your genes? Or maybe even just why genetics matters? This class covers some of the basics of genetics including what DNA is, how transcription and translation work, and how heredity (how information is passed on) works. We will also discuss epigenetics, genetic engineering, and what happens when something goes wrong in the form of genetic disease.


S3119: Genetics in Splash Spring 18 (Apr. 07, 2018)
Have you ever wondered about what genes are? Or how information from your parents is passed on to you? Or how the environment influences your genes? Or maybe even just why genetics matters? This class covers some of the basics of genetics including what DNA is, how transcription and translation work, and how heredity (how information is passed on) works. We will also discuss epigenetics, genetic engineering, and what happens when something goes wrong in the form of genetic disease.


E3033: Genetics in Sprout Spring 18 (Feb. 17 - Mar. 03, 2018)
Have you ever wondered about what genes are? Or how information from your parents is passed on to you? Or how the environment influences your genes? Or maybe even just why genetics matters? This class covers some of the basics of genetics including what DNA is, how transcription and translation work, and how heredity (how information is passed on) works. We will also discuss epigenetics, genetic engineering, and what happens when something goes wrong in the form of genetic disease.


E2814: Genetics in Sprout Fall 17 (Sep. 30 - Oct. 14, 2017)
Have you ever wondered about what genes are? Or how information from your parents is passed on to you? Or how the environment influences your genes? Or maybe even just why genetics matters? This class covers some of the basics of genetics including what DNA is, how transcription and translation work, and how heredity (how information is passed on) works. We will also discuss epigenetics, genetic engineering, and what happens when something goes wrong in the form of genetic disease.


S2929: Genetics in Splash Fall 17 (Nov. 11, 2017)
Have you ever wondered about what genes are? Or how information from your parents is passed on to you? Or how the environment influences your genes? Or maybe even just why genetics matters? This class covers some of the basics of genetics including what DNA is, how transcription and translation work, and how heredity (how information is passed on) works. We will also discuss epigenetics, genetic engineering, and what happens when something goes wrong in the form of genetic disease.


S2694: Evolutionary Approaches to Sex in Splash Spring 17 (Apr. 08, 2017)
Evolution isn't just any old scientific theory - it's the biggest reason for the world's ecological diversity. The animal world is full of strange adaptations when it comes to reproduction. How does evolution account for these - or does it? Includes overview of principles of evolution as applied to reproduction, such as the Red Queen Hypothesis, sexual selection, and real-world examples.


S2695: Genetics in Splash Spring 17 (Apr. 08, 2017)
Have you ever wondered about what genes are? Or how information from your parents is passed on to you? Or how the environment influences your genes? Or maybe even just why genetics matters? This class covers some of the basics of genetics including what DNA is, how transcription and translation work, and how heredity (how information is passed on) works. We will also discuss epigenetics, genetic engineering, and what happens when something goes wrong in the form of genetic disease.


E2441: Genetics in Sprout Spring 17 (Feb. 11 - 25, 2017)
Have you ever wondered about what genes are? Or how information from your parents is passed on to you? Or how the environment influences your genes? Or maybe even just why genetics matters? This class covers some of the basics of genetics including what DNA is, how transcription and translation works, and how heredity (how information is passed on) works. We will also discuss epigenetics and what happens when something goes wrong in the form of genetic disease.


S2237: Introduction to Genetics in Splash Fall 16 (Nov. 05, 2016)
Ever wondered why you are who you are? This course might just tell you! It covers various introductory topics in genetics including the basics of heredity (in terms of things like Punnett Squares), what genes are, how genetic information is encoded (DNA), what transcription and translation are within the Central Dogma, how gene expression functions within the body and what can occur with genetic diseases. It will also overview some applications of genetics into things like genome editing (i.e. PNA/DNA methods or CRISPR methods) to treat a genetic disease, SNP chips, and the human genome project.


E2135: Introduction to Genetics in Sprout Fall 16 (Oct. 01 - 15, 2016)
This course will teach about genetics including the basics of heredity (in terms of things like Punnett Squares), what genes are, how genetic information is encoded (DNA), what transcription and translation are within the Central Dogma, how gene expression functions within the body and what can occur with genetic diseases. It will also overview some applications of genetics into things like genome editing (i.e. PNA/DNA methods or CRISPR methods) to treat a genetic disease, SNP chips, and the human genome project.