Lorra Mathews
Senior Research Specialist
Registered Laboratory Animal Technician
lmiller@emory.edu
Technicians is a word that might conjure up images of cold, calculating characters going about their work in an efficient and clinical fashion, devoid of feeling for the animals in their charge. Nothing could be further from the truth. My mission, as I see it, is to encourage a gentle, compassionate approach towards animals in the laboratory.
I came to Emory in 1999 after receiving my Bachelor of Arts in Biology from the State University of West Georgia. As a Psychology minor, with much interest in human as well as animal social interaction, I hoped to eventually find a position combining my interest in physical and social science with my love of animals. I spent three and half years in an Immunology laboratory honing my molecular biology skills and managing a large transgenic mouse colony. I received the opportunity to join the Young Laboratory in July 2002. I am responsible for the management and genotyping of rodent colonies from mouse to vole, while acting as liason between the lab and Yerkes Veterinary/Animal Care staff.