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.
Centre College
A year ago Mary Beth Day [2009] spent several weeks being driven around Cambodia’s ancient city of Angkor in a tuk tuk, a rickshaw-like vehicle, collecting sediment samples. Her work […]
The ancient Khmer city of Angkor, site of the world famous Angkor Wat temple, could have collapsed in part due to drought, according to new research carried out by a […]
Jeremiah Schwarz [2008] grew up with a strong sense of public service which has led him not only to a distinguished naval career, but research into the world of diplomatic […]
How do you know when a surgeon has perfected a new procedure or when they are still learning? It’s an issue that is vital to surgical success rates, yet Gates […]
Heard the one about the goldfish with the short memory? It is a commonly held belief that fish are the polar opposites to elephants. They always forget. Alex Vail [2010] […]
Gates alumnus Matt Varilek has just announced that he is running for election to the US House of Representatives. Matt is running on a Democrat ticket against Republican Kristi Noem […]
Michael Marin is well aware his life could have taken a very different path. Brought up by a single mother who was working around the clock to pay the bills, […]
Gates scholar Michael Marin appeared on Canada’s leading current affairs programme this week to debate the link between the knowledge economy and rising inequality. Marin [2011] appeared yesterday on The […]
How do human populations adapt to extreme climate change? It’s an urgent question in the current age where we are warned almost daily of evidence of environmental transition. One answer […]
Why are some people wrongfully convicted of crimes and can the criminal justice system be improved to prevent innocent people being locked away? Gates scholar Bill Schmidt [2009] believes his […]