ESP Biography



CHRISTOPHER CERVANTES, Rising Junior pursuing a degree in Mathematics



Major: Biology

College/Employer: MIT

Year of Graduation: 2013

Picture of Christopher Cervantes

Brief Biographical Sketch:

Hello. My name is Christopher Cervantes, and I am currently a rising junior at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I plan to pursue a degree in Applied Mathematics (Course 18) and a minor in Biology (Course 7). My research interests right now are in areas of development, particularly on the systems (e.g. the theoretical chalone system) that help to control body proportion and size. I strongly believe that our understanding of body growth regulation is key towards the advancement of not only biology but also modern medicine. In addition, I hope to someday create mathematical models to assist in our understanding of these complex developmental processes.

My previous research includes: improving transfection efficacy in mammalian cells using non-viral delivery methods; using hematopoietic stem cells as a means of reducing atherosclerotic lesions in knockout mice; applying cell segmentation techniques to better characterize stem cell differentiation. Currently, I am conducting research on the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.

In my free time I love to listen to classical music/opera, and I also enjoy listening to artists like Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, Queen, The Beatles, among others. I am a huge fan of movies, especially the classics like Gone With the Wind, The Godfather, and Schindler's List.



Past Classes

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

S4760: Introduction to Genetic Analysis in HSSP Summer 2011 (Jul. 10, 2011)
Genetics is a discipline of biology that deals with the molecular structure and functions of genes. Given that genes are prevalent in all living organisms, genetics has applications to many biological fields, including molecular biology, evolutionary biology, and paleontology. In this course, we will discuss the principles of genetics and how to apply them at the molecular, cellular, and organismal level. The topics include: structure and function of genes, complementation test, probability and pedigree analysis, mitosis and meiosis, recombination and genetic linkage, tetrad analysis, human genetics, gene structure and DNA analysis, mutagenesis, suppressor mutations, and genetic regulation.


M4474: Introduction to Differential Equations in HSSP Spring 2011 (Feb. 19, 2011)
Differential equations are mathematical equations whose solutions provide insight to many of nature’s laws. They are fundamental to many disciplines in science and engineering. In this course we will be studying ordinary differential equations (ODE’s), which deal with functions containing one variable. Topics covered in this course include: techniques for solving ODE’s, variation of parameters, input-response models, complex numbers and exponentials, homogenous and inhomogenous DE’s, stability, simple harmonic oscillators, direction fields, integral curves, bifurcation theory, existence and uniqueness theorem, linear systems, and chaos theory.


S3842: The Science of Stem Cells in Splash! 2010 (Nov. 20 - 21, 2010)
In this class, we will learn about both the science and lab techniques involved in stem cell research. In addition, we will address important questions pertaining to the benefits and controversies with using these cells.


M3600: Introduction to Differential Equations in HSSP Summer 2010 (Jul. 11, 2010 - Jul. 11, 2011)
Differential equations are mathematical equations whose solutions provide insight to many of nature's laws. They are fundamental to many disciplines in science and engineering. In this course we will be studying ordinary differential equations (ODE's), which deal with functions containing one variable. Topics covered in this course include: techniques for solving ODE's, variation of parameters, input-response models, complex numbers and exponentials, homogenous and inhomogenous DE's, stability, simple harmonic oscillators, direction fields, integral curves, and existence and uniqueness theorem.


S3401: Molecular Biology and Biotechnology in HSSP Spring 2010 (Apr. 17, 2010)
This course introduces you to basic concepts of modern biology. In this class we will study various topics including DNA replication, protein synthesis, gene expression mechanisms, and recombinant DNA techniques. In addition, we will also discuss more modern issues including stem cells and gene therapy.