DYC Professor Featured in International Science Journal

DYC Professor Featured in International Science Journal

Buffalo, New York – February 21, 2017 – D’Youville biology professor, Dr. Gaia Bistulfi, is one of the subjects featured in the prominent scientific publication Nature, an international weekly journal of science.

Her work is referred to in an article by Susan Moran, Culture: Cultivate the Muse, focusing on how creative writing can enrich scientists’ research.

Moran writes: “For many writer-scientists, creating poems, song lyrics or fiction helps them to unwind and to access and practice a different way of thinking, even if they do not deliberately try to channel their muse into their academic thinking and writing.”

Bistulfi, a computational biologist at D’Youville, agrees. “When molecular research becomes frustrating, I can recharge my batteries, giving free rein to my creativity,” she says.

She has written four novels (as Gaia B. Amman), exploring social issues such as eating disorders, sexuality and drug abuse. “For years, [Bistufli] wrote peer-reviewed papers on molecular biology, but she says that it wasn’t until she started writing novels that she gained the voice and courage to extend her neutral scientific writing to penning opinion pieces,” Moran wrote.

“Fortified by my writing experience, I gathered the courage to express my thoughts in a format that did not require standard deviations and graphs,” Bistulfi said.

One of her novels, “An Italian Adventure (The Italian Saga, Vol .1)” reached number 1 on the new release list on Amazon and was well received nationwide.

Dr. Marion Olivieri, chair of the Biology and Mathematics Department, said: “As a school we encourage our students to appreciate a liberal arts education and embrace the Renaissance spirit; we are most grateful for the perspectives Dr. Bistulfi provides and most fortunate that she has chosen D’Youville as the place to let her creativity flourish.”

Bistulfi is a native of Italy, graduating magna cum laude with a degree in medical biotechnology from the University of Milan and was a graduate student at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. She earned her doctorate in molecular biology from the University of Milan in conjunction with Roswell.

She is a member of the Sigma-Xi, the scientific research society, and the American Society of Human Genetics.

Bistulfi joined D’Youville in 2011.

Contact

Dr. Gaia Bistulfi

Phone: 716-829-8239

Email: bistulfi@dyc.edu