News
Benjamin Cocanougher
- Alumni
- United States
- 2016 PhD Zoology
- St Catharine's College
I grew up catching praying mantises and damselflies in rural Kentucky. As an undergraduate at Centre College, I majored in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; I spent my summers taking care of sick children at the Center for Courageous Kids and doing research in organic chemistry and neuroscience. I matriculated directly to the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and completed my first three years of medical school. I then moved to Janelia Research Campus as a HHMI Medical Research Fellow; there I studied the neural and genetic bases of behavior. As a PhD student in Zoology, I will study adaptive behavior. All animals integrate information about past experience into future decisions; this is the basis of learning and memory. I am proposing to write a specific memory and read the memory trace in the brain. I will use the fruit fly as a model organism. By understanding mechanisms of memory storage, we can begin to investigate changes in memory formation in disease; this may allow us to develop rational therapies for disorders of memory formation, including autism and Alzheimer’s disease. After completing my PhD, I will return to finish my last year of medical school and pursue a career as a child neurologist and neuroscientist, using my lab to better understand the patients I see in clinic.
Previous Education
Centre College
- Share
Latest News
The dancing doctor
Nicole Person-Rennell is a busy person. Not only is she studying medicine and embarking on an MPhil in Public Health, but she is also a professional dancer. While an undergraduate and a trainee doctor she has managed to combine dancing in a professional group and her studies. It is something she plans to continue even […]
Gates alumnus addressses International Standardization Organization meeting
A Gates alumnus was part of the British delegation to the International Standardization Organization (ISO)’s meeting in China last week. Pradipta Biswas took part in the meeting in Shanghai in his capacity as an expert committee member of the British Standardisation Institute. He gave a presentation on behalf of the European Virtual User Modelling and […]
Crime fiction vs crime fact
How do sensationalised stories about crime affect sentencing policy? Tovah Ackerman believes there is a link between how a crime is presented and sentencing policy. She also believes that painting a true narrative of the lives of some people who are accused of crimes can lead to more lenient penalties. She plans to do her […]
Speakers announced for Gates career webinar
An international panel of speakers will take part in a Gates webinar on career development, continuing research and networking on 8th October. The webinar, the second in a series of talks for scholars on career development, will be moderated by Gates alumni, Pradipta Biswas and Rose Spear. The keynote speaker is Pat Langdon, Senior Research […]
Looking to the stars
Like many other children, Jonathan Diaz used to look up at the sky and marvel at the immensity of our Galaxy. His interest was driven by a passion for story-telling, for understanding the narrative of the cosmos and trying to communicate and connect with other worlds. The difference is that he didn’t content himself just […]
What is the future for news?
As paid-for media struggle to stop plummeting readership, Gates scholar Andrew Gruen is investigating what a successful business model would look like for a new media start-up Gruen, who has himself worked for a range of media including BBC News Online and an NBC affiliate tv station in Florida, is interested in the kind of […]
Webinar for US applicants takes place next week
Gates alumni and the Gates Cambridge Trust will be holding a webinar in September for US applicants on how to apply for a scholarship. The US Application webinar will be held on 14th September from 11am EST [16.00 BST] to 12.30pm [17.30] . Jennifer Piscopo, Co-Chair of the Gates Scholars Alumni Association, Daniel DiCenso, GSAA […]
Under the microscope
When Guilhem Chalancon was seven he wanted to be a neurosurgeon. He was interested in the biology of the brain and waded his way through heavy medical texts. “I learnt a lot about anatomy from that and my parents. It’s a big advantage in life sciences so I am thankful to my parents for stimulating […]
Wellbeing and where you live
While Annalijn Conklin was growing up, she saw her mother and her best childhood girlfriend suffer from a number of progressive chronic illnesses. During childhood, Annalijn’s mother was in and out of hospital due to an auto-immune disease called SLE (lupus). Because of this and other chronic illnesses, Annalijn’s mother was interested in complementary medicine […]
Webinar on career development scheduled for October
Three Gates alumni are organising a webinar on career development, continuing research and networking. The webinar, the second in a series of talks for scholars on career development, is expected to take place on 8th October. The organisers are Pradipta Biswas, Rose Spear and Maja Milicevic.They say: “The previous webinar provided a picture of socially […]
