2020-2021 Mentor Bios
Kyra Hoskin
Hi! I am a Sophomore from Lilburn, Georgia majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Psychology. I plan on going to medical school and would love to travel and work for medical non-profits. My interests within the field of neuroscience are related to cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology.
This past summer, I went to Houston to see family while also taking Organic Chemistry. My favorite non-academic hobby is watching movies, and if I could time travel I would go to last year before COVID.
Sam Sette
Hey all! I’m a Junior from NYC and majoring in Neuroscience with a Psych minor and I&E certificate. I’m also on the pre-med track. My interests in Neuroscience are heavily focused on the mind-body connection – or in other words, the biological underpinnings of how our thoughts can manifest as physiology. I am also interested in fear learning circuitry and its implications for anxiety. I currently work in a lab that uses rodent models of conditioned taste aversion and imaging techniques to extrapolate circuitry involved in acquiring/distinguishing such responses. Our project implications range from addiction to chemotherapy patients and anxiety.
In the past few summers, I took part in an apprenticeship alongside my family’s pediatric cardiologist. In my free time, I love to create healthy recipes and go running, and you can also catch me teaching spin classes at Wilson.
If I could travel to any time and place, I would love to travel back to NYC during the pre-9/11 era. My parents always explain how different things were for both better and for worst, and I’d love to experience life in a different era.
Carolyn Huynh
Hello! My name is Carolyn and I’m a senior from Dallas, Texas. I am majoring in Neuroscience, minoring in Global Health, and hope to attend medical school in the future. I’m especially interested in the field of neuroimmunology, which involves the intersection of neuroscience, psychology, endocrinology, and the immune system. I am a member of the Bilbo lab, where we study how inflammation caused by various social or environmental stressors impacts brain development. My research project investigates the role of maternal high fat diet in fetal inflammation and serotonin synthesis.
During the summer of my freshman year, I conducted global health field work at an NGO in Uganda. Last summer, I participated in the Summer Neuroscience Program (SNP). My favorite non-academic hobbies include trying out new recipes and playing volleyball with my friends!
If I could time travel to any time and any place, I would go to Italy, 4 years ago, because I had some fantastic gelato there and would like to re-live that experience.
Ayesha Syed
I am a senior from Charlotte, North Carolina majoring in Neuroscience with a Psychology minor. I plan to apply to medical school next summer. Within the field of neuroscience, I am particularly interested in Alzheimer’s disease, ApoE signaling, and thinking and memory in older adults. I currently work in the Berger Lab, where I am assisting with a clinical trial looking at the role of a drug in reducing brain inflammation to help alleviate postoperative cognitive dysfunction and delirium in older adults. I have also been working on a project about ApoE4 carrier status and its relation to Alzheimer’s disease biomarker status and cognitive abilities.
Last summer, I participated in the Reimagine Medicine summer program, where I explored the role of arts and humanities in medicine. I returned as a teaching assistant for the program this summer, as well as assisting with a Bass connections Brain and Society project. In 2018 and 2019 I also went to Hyderabad, India to visit my extended family! My favorite hobbies are baking and learning to play classical, contemporary, and Bollywood music on the piano!
If I could travel to any time and place, I would go to Hyderabad during the month of Ramadan. The city is lit up like a Christmas tree and at night the streets are crowded with people shopping and trying new restaurants with amazing food!
Alexa Putka
I am a Senior from Fredericksburg, Virginia, which is halfway between Richmond and D.C.! I am majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in both Chemistry and Biology. In addition, I am applying to PhD programs in neurobiology this year! My specific interests are in neurodegenerative disorders, learning, and memory. I currently work in the La Spada Lab, which focuses on the neurobiological basis of several neurodegenerative disorders. Specifically, I’ve worked on understanding the excitotoxicity pathway in both Huntington’s disease and ALS.
After my freshman year, I participated in the summer program Data+. After my sophomore year, I was awarded a fellowship through the Huntington’s Disease Society of America to research excitotoxicity in Huntington’s disease. This past summer, I participated in the Summer Neuroscience Program virtually (fun!) while also taking Physics I and II (not as fun!). A hobby I picked up during quarantine is knitting! I’m not very good, but it is a fun activity that I can do while watching TV or spending time with family.
If I could travel to any time and place, I would travel back to July 1969 and go into space with the Apollo 11 astronauts to experience the first humans stepping foot on the moon. Then I’d get to travel through time and travel to the moon all at once!
Ainsley Buck
I’m a Junior from southern Connecticut majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in Psychology and certificate in Child Policy Research. I currently work as a research assistant in the Duke Early Experience and the Developing Brain (DEED) Lab. My research on children’s neurodevelopment aims to inform social policy to improve outcomes for children and their families. I am also a member of a Bass Connections team focusing on the North Carolina Early Childhood Action Plan, which focuses on implementing social-emotional health screening and lowering food insecurity rates. In the future, I hope to pursue a career in medicine, with specific interests in developmental behavioral pediatrics and neuropsychiatry.
This past summer, I interned for the Duke Margolis Center for Health Policy with a focus on manuscript writing for our Bass Connections project. Outside of school, I love to bake, and I’m also a dancer!
If I could time travel to any time and place I think I would time travel to Ancient Egypt. I’ve always been baffled by the fact that something as vast as the pyramids were built without access to any technology. It’s an incredible feat of engineering, creativity and strength, and witnessing it would truly be an unbelievable experience.
Danielle Chipman
I am a Senior from Long Island, New York majoring in Neuroscience with minors in both Chemistry and Biology. I am also on the pre-health track. I am extremely interested in neurodegenerative diseases and disorders in the human brain. I am in the Chiba-Falek Lab, where I work on the single nuclei-omics project. I am currently working with new technology that allows us to look at single cells from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease patients’ brains by looking to find trends in specific cell types that are affected by these neurodegenerative diseases. This technology uses single nuclei RNA-sequencing and single nuclei ATAC-sequencing methods.
My favorite non-academic hobby is dance! If I could time travel, I would go to the future to see how research technology and health technology have evolved throughout the years. I think it would be especially cool to see what researchers have been able to discover.
Edem Asamoa
I am a Senior from West Chester, PA majoring in Neuroscience with a Chemistry minor. I am on the pre-health track, and I work in Dr. Appelbaum’s OptilLab. My independent studies have centered around sports-vision training and biomarkers of projectile interception. This year I will be working toward a thesis detailing the feasibility of a Music Brain Computer Interface that provides biofeedback.
This past summer I was able to intern at a local Durham studio (VibeHouse Studios) and gain experience with recording/mixing for clients! My non-academic hobbies include producing and recording music.
If I could time travel, I would travel hundreds of years into the future so that I could see how things have progressed.
Younis Mahmoud
I am a Senior from Seattle, WA majoring in Neuroscience with minors in Chemistry and Philosophy. I am on the pre-health track. My specific interests include the intersection of neuroscience and philosophy as well as cognitive neuroscience. I have been working in the Egner Laboratory, which focuses on cognitive neuroscience research. I have run a variety of in-person working memory tasks and I also was working on eye tracking tasks prior to the pandemic.
Outside of school, I really enjoy running as well as photography. If I could time travel, I would probably travel to New York in 1000 years just to check how things are going with human civilization and if TikTok dances are still a thing.
Rajit Shah
I am a Sophomore from Houston, TX majoring in Neuroscience with minors in Global Health and Biology. I am on the pre-health track and hope to attend medical school post-graduation. My specific interests in neuroscience are trauma and neuroimmunology.
I am currently working independently off-campus on an interdisciplinary cardiac electrophysiology and public policy report. We are exploring the interactions between health policy in my hometown and how it contributes to Atrial Fibrillation and its comorbidity with other conditions along socioeconomic lines. My research focuses on identifying the specific underlying causes for disproportionate AFib rates and predicting future incidence to potentially guide local policy recommendations.
My non-academic hobbies include playing basketball. If I could travel to any place and time I would definitely go to 2018 because I was more of a kid back then living freely, and plus maybe we could prepare for COVID-19 better. Oh, and also because my favorite sports teams were better back then.
Kathryn Simmons
I am a Senior from Greenville, South Carolina majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in Chemistry. I plan on going to medical school after graduation. I’m interested in research related to the mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases and the therapies that are being developed to treat them. My research focuses on how the APOE genotype variants affect recovery from traumatic brain injury in a mouse model.
Last summer, I did the SNP (Summer Neuroscience Program) where I piloted a study using new technology for mouse operant-response conditioning. The previous summer, I worked in the hospital, observing clinicians and doing a retrospective research study on pituitary adenomas. Outside of school, I enjoy hiking and rock-climbing.
If I could travel to any time and place, I would go to Ancient Egypt to experience the culture and to see how the pyramids were built.
Neha Vyas
I am a Junior from Valencia, California pursuing a major in Neuroscience along with minors in Hindi and Chemistry, and I am also on the pre-med path. I am particularly interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases in order to develop the most efficient therapeutic target to help alleviate the impacts of these diseases on our elderly population. I work in the Dickey Lab, which focuses on understanding the molecular pathways underlying neurodegenerative disorders, specifically Huntington’s Disease and Parkinson’s’ Disease, and the molecular commonalities between them. I am working to better understand how cellular death and protein quality control mechanisms are disrupted in Parkinson’s, specifically in the context of the LRRK2 mutation.
My favorite non-academic hobby is definitely running! I love going on early morning runs, because they allow me to de-stress and also just take some time for myself.
If I could time travel to any time and place, I would probably time travel back to my childhood and specifically my old apartment. I have a lot of great memories with friends and family there and I would love to have a chance to relive them once again.
Hailey Reisert
I’m a Junior Neuroscience major with minors in both Psychology and Chemistry, and I’m also pre-med. I am from Wantagh, New York. I am interested in cognitive development and learning about the psychology and neuroscience involved in developmental and mental health disorders such as autism, ADHD, and depression. I’m currently a research assistant with the Duke Early Experience and Developing Brain Lab under Dr. Michael Gaffrey. The project I mainly work with studies joint attention and eye gaze during parent-infant play, evaluating whether these behaviors play a role in social development.
This past summer, I was a Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics research intern with Cohen Children’s Hospital in NY. I worked on projects looking at trends of child abuse reporting during the pandemic, bullying involvement in children with health conditions of varying severity, and I also wrote a review article on wandering and elopement behaviors in children with autism. My favorite non-academic hobbies are dancing, reading, and going to the beach.
If I could travel to any time and place, I’d love to travel to Hogwarts in the year 1994, so I could get to watch and experience the Triwizard tournament!
Bailey Lauren Patrick
Hi! I’m a Junior majoring in Neuroscience with minors in Chemistry and Biology. I am on the pre-health track, and am from Jefferson City, MO. I’m really interested in the links between neuroscience and nutrition as well as possible sex differences in the brain. I currently work in the Bilbo Lab studying how maternal diet impacts offspring behavior.
The last few summers I’ve traveled to Alaska and Iceland and have been doing research with the Bilbo Lab and taking a few summer classes through Duke. Outside of school, I love playing tennis!
If I could travel to any time and place, I would like to travel to the days of the Roman Empire in Italy. I was really amazed by all the architecture when I visited and wonder what is was like in its prime. I also think it would be neat to experience an era without cell phones, the internet, cars, etc.
Molly Monsour
I am a Senior from Tampa, Florida studying Neuroscience with a minor in Psychology. I am also pre-med! I’m extremely interested in the intersection of psychology and neuroscience. Psychological illness can be rooted in so many areas (i.e. biology, SES, societal norms, etc.) and I think it’s fascinating how these areas interact with brain morphology and function. I currently work in Dr. Morey’s lab which focuses on PTSD and neuroimaging. I am currently working on my thesis, which focuses on how climate change, specifically sea level rise and increased hurricane occurrence, will impact the prevalence of mental illnesses such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD.
The past few summers, I have volunteered at my local hospital in pediatrics, was EMT certified, and I did DukeEngage San Francisco, where I had an absolutely incredible time working with youth experiencing homelessness through Larkin Street Youth Services. Last summer, I participated in SNP, and loved being able to develop not only my research project, but my professional skills as well! Outside of school, I love traveling and finding cute, local areas in new places.
If I could time travel, I would go to 1847 because that’s when Emily Brontë published Wuthering Heights.
Evelyn Sturrock
I’m a Junior majoring in Neuroscience with minors in Psychology and History. I’m from Rockville, MD, and I plan to get a PhD and pursue a career in scientific research. I’m most interested in cell neurobiology, and more specifically in neuroimmune and neuroendocrine interactions. I work in the Mooney neurobiology lab, which broadly focuses on the neurobiology of audition (vocalization and hearing). This semester, my project centers on comparing the projections from various brain regions to the auditory cortex in hearing and congenitally deaf mice to determine if auditory networks are reorganized in deafness.
In the summer of 2019, I did the Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research Fellowship (BSURF) program which was an incredible introduction to full-time lab work and crucial aspects of scientific research, such as research presentations and poster sessions. This past summer, I did a remote research internship with the Emory University Laney Graduate School, which focused on professional development and research ethics. Outside of school, I play the harp and I especially love playing in orchestras with friends.
If I could travel to any time and place, a nice 1870s villa in the sunny South of France sounds perfect right about now.
Devika Naphade
I am a Senior from Fort Mill, South Caroline, majoring in Neuroscience and Linguistics and minoring in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. I am also on the pre-med track. I greatly enjoy learning about disorders like aphasias, dementia etc. and neural mechanisms at the molecular level. I am a part of the Dr. Edna Andrews’ Bass Connections team called Language, Music and Dementia. With Dr. Andrews’ team, I have had the opportunity to perform fMRI structural data analysis, learn about the effect of interaction between language and music on the onset of dementia, and conduct interviews of multilingual musicians to determine best practices for assessing language and music in neuroimaging. Furthermore, I have worked in the Nicolelis lab, where I assisted with a Parkinson’s Disease study through training mice and producing spinal-cord electrodes.
My favorite non-academic hobby is gardening. I acquired this interest from my mother, who has a green thumb and loves observing wild plants and trees during nature walks. Since the start of COVID, we have been trying to grow an avocado plant from a seed. It sprouted its first few roots after an eight-week long wait!
If I could travel to any time and place, I would time-travel to my parents’ college days, because I hear a lot of fun stories from their youth and want to see how their life with friends was on college campus when they were my age. I also want to meet a younger version of my grandparents, and see what the world was like then.
Yasha Kulkarni
I am a Junior majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in Chemistry. I am from Birmingham, Alabama and am on the pre-health track. What has really garnered my interest in neuroscience is learning about the interconnection between memory and other processes like emotion and decision-making. This past summer I worked in Dr. Cabeza’s lab where we focused on determining the differences that semantic and perceptual encoding tasks have on representations in the brain. The summer after freshman year, I volunteered in a lab that worked with mice models to test different drug combinations that could help decrease tumor size in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).
Outside of school, I love to play the Indian flute whenever possible! It’s a great way to relax and learn new songs at the same time. I’ve also recently started to become addicted to puzzles. It was definitely a great way to keep me engaged over quarantine, so I didn’t spend all day on Netflix.
If I could travel to any time and place it would definitely have to be India 40 to 50 years ago when my parents were kids. I would want to live through all the stories that they have told me over the years and experience the adventures they had. Who wouldn’t want to see their parents as kids!
Rehan Khan
I am a Senior from Kentucky, majoring in Neuroscience with minors in Chemistry and Biology. I am currently on the pre-health track. Within neuroscience, I am especially interested in the fields of memory, neurogenesis, and cortical circuitry. I work in the Kuo lab, which focuses on understanding neurogenesis in the sub ventricular zone (SVZ) niche in the rodent brain. My focus in the lab is understanding how acetylcholine (ACh) can activate quiescent neural stem cells (qNSCs) in cell cultures.
In the summer of 2019, I was a part of the Summer Neuroscience Program (SNP), which allowed me to really delve into independent research in my lab and present it to a scientific audience. My non-academic hobbies include playing basketball, watching football/basketball/soccer, and going on hikes outdoors.
If I could time travel, I would travel to Florence during the Renaissance. It was a time filled with great thinkers and artists and having a chance to experience that first hand would be incredible.
Leslie Leal Palacios
I am a Junior majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Chemistry and Biology. I am also on the pre-health track. I’m from Monterrey, Mexico, but I grew up in Houston, Texas. I am especially interested in learning about mental health disorders and their treatment, as well as language learning and multilingualism. I am on the Bass Connections research team “Peer Coaches: Improving Mental Health Treatment for College Students” which will launch a text-based service aimed at improving the mental health of Duke students through anonymous and trained peer coaches.
During my freshman summer, I participated in the Duke in Paris program where I studied in Paris for six weeks and took two French courses. My favorite non-academic hobby is to learn Disney songs in French as it combines two things I love: learning French and anything Disney-related!
If I could time travel to any time and place, I would go to France right before the French Revolution and travel across the Loire Valley to as many castles as I could. I think it would be interesting to see the country before the Revolution and during it to experience how much change occurred in such a short period of time.
Varun Nukala
I am a Senior from Columbus, GA majoring in Neuroscience with minors in Computational Biology/Bioinformatics and Chemistry, and I am on the pre-health track. I’m especially interested in neurodegenerative disorders, memory, and mTBI, and I am on the Bass Connections team titled “Oculomotor Response as an Objective Response for Mild TBI in the Pediatric Population.” My work has focused on using machine learning techniques to analyze oculomotor data and relate it to head impact exposure data in youth athletes.
Over the summer, I did an internship at MD Anderson Cancer Center doing research in the Diagnostic Radiology division. My non-academic hobbies include playing tennis, badminton, and basketball. If I could time travel, I would definitely want to see Neil Armstrong walking on the moon.
Chloe Weiser
I am a Junior majoring in Neuroscience with minors in Biology and Chemistry. I am on the pre-health track and hope to become an Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Doctor. My main interests in neuroscience lie within the field of cognitive neuroscience, and more specifically the auditory system. I was diagnosed with moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss at the age of four. It was not until my freshman year of high school when I joined the original science research elective program high school that I started to learn more about the auditory system. Through this program I joined a biomedical engineering lab at Columbia University working on cochlear implants and grew my love for auditory research. Here at Duke, I have been working in the Groh Lab, which focuses on the intersections between the auditory and visual systems.
I have spent the past two summers working in my lab at Duke. One of my favorite non-academic hobbies is figure skating!
If I could travel to any place and time, I would go to Sydney, Australia since I was supposed to study abroad there this fall before COVID-19 cancelled all abroad programs.
Kaya Scheman
I’m a senior from New York City majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in Chemistry. I am on the pre-health track with a plan to attend medical school after taking at least one gap year. Through my coursework and research position at Duke, I have become particularly interested in the field of cognitive neuroscience, specifically in the neural underpinnings of decision making. I have also become quite interested in pharmacology and how the human brain interacts with various drugs. I have been working as an undergraduate research assistant in the Woldorff Lab since my sophomore year, investigating the neural underpinnings of attention, memory, and decision-making primarily through EEG and fMRI. I am currently writing my thesis on the neural underpinnings of expectancy in reward-based decision making.
This past summer I was a Summer Neuroscience Program fellow. During the 8 week program, I participated in professional development sessions and had the opportunity to work closely with different members of my lab. Outside of academics, I love hiking, skiing, and running. I’m also really into reading murder mysteries!
If I could travel to any place and time, I would want to travel to Washington, DC in 1963 so that I could listen to MLK Jr. deliver his “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington! I would love to have been a part of the protest and have the opportunity to see/meet MLK Jr. in real life!
Kathryn Silberstein
Hi! I’m a current senior from Delray Beach, Florida, majoring in Neuroscience, with minors in Biology and Global Health. I know I want to be working in patient care, but whether that means becoming a doctor, a nurse practitioner, a physician’s assistant, or something else I still don’t know about is up in the air! Everything about how our brains shape us as people and how we, in turn, shape and change our brains fascinates me! I’m specifically interested in how aspects of early life, ranging from childhood trauma to environmental stressors, impact neural development and risks of pathology. I work in the Duke Early Experiences and Developing Brain Lab, led by Dr. Michael Gaffrey! The lab centers around early neural and social development, and early childhood mental health practices, working to align what we know about development with practice and policy to support children’s well-being and help them thrive.
The summer between my junior and senior year, I volunteered at a local clinic off the coast of mainland Honduras, Roatán, as part of DGHI’s Student Research Training program. It was an amazing experience, though definitely challenging in a lot of ways. Outside of academics, I’m an avid runner! Definitely not the fastest in the pack, but I love being outside and on the move.
If I could travel anywhere in time, I would travel back to the beginning of last Fall semester in 2019, right here in Durham. I had a great time, and I would love to be able to have those same experiences again, but I also think if I knew so much was going to change so fast, I would’ve savored more moments, and spent even more time on the things, people, and places that matter most to me.
Viraj Patel
Hi! I’m Viraj, a senior from Tampa, Florida, pursuing a Neuroscience major and Chemistry minor within the pre-med track. I enjoy learning about translational and clinical neuroscience, such as considering how certain deficits or disorders in the neural pathways we learn about can ultimately contribute to the symptoms which patients may present with. I work in the Nackley Lab, where we study the role of beta-adrenergic receptors in mediating chronic pain conditions.
The past two summers, I have researched with my lab. Last summer, I was a part of the Summer Neuroscience Program where I continued my research with the Nackley Lab in a virtual format, while spending time at home. Some of my non-academic hobbies include playing soccer, basketball, or hitting the gym, as well as in general just spending time outdoors with my friends whenever I can.
If I could travel to any place and time, I would time travel myself onto the Apollo 11, in July 1969. It’d be surreal to be on the first spaceflight to leave Earth en route to successfully landing on the Moon. More so, I can only imagine getting to view all of Earth from the Moon, as well as the vastness of our universe – it would certainly put a lot of things into perspective and would just be an unforgettable sight to see.
Yume Choi
Hi! My name is Yume, and I’m a junior from northern Virginia. I plan on double majoring in neuroscience and psychology with a possible minor in computational biology. I plan to attend grad school and hopefully do a PhD in the future to teach college students and practice neuropsychology! As of now, I am most interested in the clinical applications of neuroscience. I love learning about how different abnormalities in brain region or function can lead to different symptoms, feelings, or disorders. I work in Dr. Alison Adcock’s Lab in LSRC. The lab focuses mainly on neurofeedback techniques in which participants practice controlling their own brain activity levels in clinical settings. Due to restrictions with COVID-19, I am currently working on an independent project where I am studying information seeking behaviors of patients with depression and anxiety, within the context of the ongoing pandemic.
In the recent summers, I took part in the Summer Neuroscience Program, and I studied abroad in Oxford through the Duke in Oxford program where I studied Victorian Literature. Outside of academics, I love performing and listening to music! I currently play the violin, piano, and guitar.
If I could time travel to any place and time, I would go back to the early 2000s/late 1900s, back when technology existed (we had faster means of communicating with each other through cell phones and the internet but it wasn’t in widespread use). I want to experience what a life not so dominated by technology is like.
2019-2020 Mentor Bios
Annika Sharma
I’m a senior from Bangalore (India). I am majoring in Neuroscience & Evolutionary Anthropology.
I’m currently working towards a senior thesis in Dr. Christine Drea’s lab on a comparative neuroanatomy project studying central oxytocin receptor differences between pairbonding and non-pairbonding lemurs within the genus Eulemur.
My favorite non-academic hobby is photography! I head The Chanticleer which means I get to shoot a ton of cool sporting events (including basketball!).
If I were a kitchen object, I would be a blender for — lots of intellectual reasons, but also… smoothies…
Anshu Jonnalagadda
I am a junior from Princeton, New Jersey. I am majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in Computational Biology and am pre-med. My research involves studying the visual system to better understand the TMS-Dose response relationship in the brain. My favorite non-academic is dancing. If I were a kitchen object I would be a bowl because it has the most utility.
Ben Thier
I am a Senior from New York City studying Neuroscience and Education. Combining these two interests, I am pursuing a career in learning science and educational technology. Unlike most Neuro majors, I am not pre-med, but I still had to take 2 semesters of Physics. I am currently applying to graduate programs focusing on learning analytics, cognition, and ed tech.
I work with Dr. Ng and Dr. Newpher on the interdisciplinary Bass Connections team titled “Collaborative Learning in STEM,” which focuses on how collaborative environments can increase motivation, retention, and sense of community for students. I am also an intern in the Learning Innovation department, where I have conducted literature reviews on implicit bias and am helping Dr. Seli run his mindwandering and attention lab.
My favorite non-academic hobby is scuba diving. If I were a kitchen object I would be a pasta strainer; I imagine the hot water would feel pretty relaxing.
Brielle Tobin
I am from Casper, Wyoming, I’m a senior pursuing the Neuroscience B.S. and Chemistry minor, and I’m premed.
Currently, I’m part of the Emergency Medicine Acute Care Research Team at Duke Hospital. I administer surveys for studies on pain management, with a focus on identifying psychosocial factors that may indicate risk for developing chronic pain following acute injury. We also have the goal of developing mobile pain-coping interventions for the ED population.
My favorite non-academic hobby is playing on Swerve, Duke Club Women’s Ultimate Frisbee team! If I were a kitchen object, I’d be a salt shaker because it makes everything taste 100% better.
Devika Naphade
Hi, my name is Devika Naphade, and I am from Lynchburg, Virginia. I am a junior majoring in Neuroscience and Linguistics and minoring in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies! I hope to pursue medicine, and possibly research as well.
I work in Dr. Andrews’ Lab where we study the impact of musicianship and multilingualism on delaying the behavioral symptoms of dementia through fMRI scanning and behavioral data (like interviews and recordings).
I love learning new languages and reading! I also really enjoy learning/listening to Indian Classical music/Bollywood songs. If I were a kitchen object, I would be a freezer because I love eating ice-cream.
Diwas Gautam
I am a junior from Salt Lake City, Utah studying neuroscience and global health. I work in the Anne West Lab. My work is involved with understanding how chromatin regulation affects neuronal maturation and synapse development. I like to play soccer and cook. If I were a kitchen object I would be a pan, because a lot of stuff is mixed to create something good.
Dominic Tanzillo
I’m a senior from Redwood City California. I’m a double major in neuroscience and math interested in becoming a military trauma or flight surgeon.
Since sophomore year I have worked in the Wang Neurobiology Lab studying synaptic transmission of pain and somatosensation signals. I worked at UCSF to study Parkinson’s Deep Brain Stimulation Treatments. I have a math lab studying ECG signals and better ways of filtering noise from signals.
I love dystopian books, movies and TV shows. I also love playing Smash Ultimate. If I were a kitchen object, I would be a knife because of my cutting humor.
Edem Asamoa
I am a junior from West Chester, PA studying Neuroscience and am pre-med. I am investigating brain biomarkers associated with projectile interception and tracking. My favorite non-academic hobby is music production/singing. If I were a kitchen object, I would be a dishwasher because it is the most clean object.
Grace Carlson
Hi! I’m a senior from the Boston area and am majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in french. I have been following a premed track for most of undergrad but am currently planning on taking a few gap years to develop some outside professional experiences before continuing on to medical school.
I work in the Woldorff Lab, which is a cognitive neuroscience lab focused on using EEG to better understand the neural processes underlying attention, learning, perception, and cognition. My thesis focuses specifically on how spatial reward is processed and updated in the brain in feedback-based learning environments.
I love listening to music (favorite bands and artists include Alabama Shakes, Young the Giant, Tame Impala, and more recently Still Woozy) and also enjoy running a lot! If I were a kitchen object, I would be a salt shaker – self-explanatory.
Grace Smith
I’m a senior from Columbia, SC, majoring in Neuroscience with minors in Psychology and Religion. My general passions are centered on mental health, survivors of trauma, and healthcare ethics, with a focus on the dis/advantages of the current healthcare system and the relationships between culture, language, healing, and health (though my research on that is less structured at the moment). I’m also a member of Dr. Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell’s lab, which focuses mainly on promoting mental health/flourishing among caregivers; the current project works with ministers in NC as part of the Clergy Health Initiative.
My favorite non-academic hobby is swimming! If I were a kitchen object, I would be a Slow Cooker – because I think slowly and thoroughly, and find joy in learning from (combining the flavors of) many different things!
Hamza Malick
I am from Farmingdale, NY majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Biology and Chemistry. I am also pre-med.
I am currently doing research in Todd Purves’s Lab and am focusing on the induction of depressive symptoms in rats as a result of peripheral diseases such as Bladder Outlet Obstruction and Interstitial Cystitis. I am studying depression in rats using the sucrose preference assay and forced swim assay and measuring neuroinflammation that is induced through peripheral diseases through microglial quantitation as well as neurogenesis in the hippocampus.
My favorite non-academic hobbies include playing basketball and training jiu-jitsu! If I were a kitchen object, I would be a blender because mixing separate things into one can create something beautiful.
Ilayda Arslan
I’m an international student from Istanbul, Turkey, due to graduate in 2021. I major in Neuroscience and minor in Evolutionary Anthropology.
I work on a project that aims to phenotype Misophonia and create a diagnostic scale for it. I am also interested in inter-special commonalities in emotional responses and regulatory circuits.
My favorite non-academic hobby is painting and if I were a kitchen object I would be a blender.
Jason Zhang
I am a junior from Gainesville, Florida! I am majoring in Neuroscience and Biology and am Pre-Med. My research focuses on cognitive neuroscience of emotion regulation and neurobiology of depression.
My favorite non-academic hobby is tennis! If I were a kitchen object I would be an automatic mixer cause those things put in serious work. I also like to bake but I really suck at whipping egg whites so I always wish that I could have a mixer.
Jeffrey Gu
I’m a senior from New Port Richey, Florida. I am majoring in neuroscience and minoring in chemistry, while pursuing the premed track.
In the Chiba-Falek lab in Duke’s Department of Neurology, I study the epigenetic regulation of the alpha-synuclein (SNCA) gene, which is a gene highly associated with Parkinson’s disease. My research focuses on the intron1 region of the SNCA gene, where I have worked on down-regulating the expression of SNCA through increasing the methylation levels of the CpG islands in the intron1. More recently, my senior thesis project is centered around analyzing the neuronal methylation profiles of the intron1 region in post-mortem human brain tissues. My goal is to see whether there are significant differences between control, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia with Lewy bodies samples.
I love to go on spirited drives around town and explore! If I were a kitchen object, I would be a garlic press – it’s so underrated and makes your life so much easier. It also adds that extra flavor to your dishes, garlic should be in everything change my mind.
Junette Yu
Hello! I am a senior this year majoring in Neuroscience and Linguistics, and doing a certificate in Marine Science & Conservation Leadership. After graduation, I want to spend a few years pursuing work in applied sciences and use my academic interests and training to make concrete impacts in real world contexts. Through those experiences, I hope to have a clearer and more specific idea of what I want my career to be like before applying to graduate school.
I work in Dr. Elika Bergelson’s lab on infant language acquisition, specifically, how the linguistic environment of infants with visual impairments influence their language development.
My favorite non-academic hobby is going to the beach/anywhere near the ocean. If I were a kitchen object I would be the window because I like to engage with challenging questions, and try to offer a refreshing perspective in conversations.
Katie Freedy
Maya Samal
Hi I’m a senior from Lincoln, Nebraska! I am a neuroscience major with a minor in chemistry, on a pre-med track. Within neuroscience, I am interested in the process of emotion recognition in individuals with neurological disorders.
I work in the Keefe Lab where we are assessing auditory perception and emotion recognition in young adults at clinical high risk for Schizophrenia. Outside of school, I love listening to ted talks and playing with dogs, and if I were a kitchen object, I would be a can opener because I’m really strong.
Meriwether Morris
I’m a Neuroscience BS major with a certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Baltimore, Maryland. I’m hoping to work in applied behavioral science for impact.
My research focuses on analyzing the reliability of various mathematical modeling (graph theory) and imaging methods (task and resting-state fMRI) as indicators of individual differences with the hope of increasing replicability of findings in the pursuit of biomarkers for psychopathology.
My favorite non-academic hobby is equestrian show jumping. If I were a kitchen object, I would be one of the spinning spaghetti forks. I think if you’re making life more efficient and more fun at the same time, you’re doing it right!!!!
Molly Monsour
I am a junior from Tampa, FL! I moved to Tampa about 8 years ago, but I lived in Chapel Hill, NC for 12 years. I’m studying Neuroscience and Psychology. I’m currently pre-med, but also considering getting an MD/PhD.
I work in Dr. Morey’s Neuroimaging lab studying how PTSD impacts Brainage. Brainage measures changes in white matter volume, grey matter volume, brain morphology changes, and more. Using T1 MRI scans, these changes are calculated using voxel-wise analysis and pre-processed structural scans. The final Brainage calculation is subtracted from the subject’s actual age in order to determine whether PTSD has impacted their brain morphology.
I love running and trying new exercise classes at Wilson! I also love cooking and eating with friends or trying new Durham restaurants. If I were a kitchen object, I would be a blender! I love making smoothies, acai bowls, and pasta sauces in my blender! I also sometimes use it to make baked goods.
I’m currently abroad for the semester but am happy to communicate via messaging or facetime!
Natalie Benderly
I am a senior from New York City studying Neuroscience and Innovation and Entrepreneurship. I am the Executive Vice President of the Tamid Group and a two-time project manager. Outside of Tamid, I am an intern at DuWell, a fellow for the Duke Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative, and sit on the Duke Student Alumni Board. This past summer, I worked in NYC as a strategy intern for Teneo, an advisory firm for CEOs.
I have never worked in a lab, but I am currently writing a thesis on the value of cognitive diversity on corporate boards. I am interested in behavioral/neuroscience applications to business.
My favorite non-academic hobby is tennis and knitting. If I were a kitchen object, I would be a blender. I love Daily Harvest smoothies and make them every morning.
Priyanka Rao
Hi! I am from Columbia, SC. I am currently a junior and will graduate with the class of 2021. I am majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in Chemistry and a Documentary Studies Certificate. I am on the pre-medicine track.
I work in a research lab called the Translational Center for Stress Disorders. The lab is located in the Carmichael building on 300 N Duke St, Durham, NC, 27701. During the past semester (Spring 2019) and the current semester, I am conducting research on the role of an enzyme called tryptophan hydroxylase 2 in inflammation in a mouse model of depression. Tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH2) is an enzyme used for the synthesis of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a hormone and neurotransmitter that has been found to play a role in emotion-regulation. Decreased levels of TPH2 have been found to lead to disorders such as anxiety and depression and deficits in cognitive control and emotion regulation. This project will use TPH2-knock in mice which are deficient in the TPH2 enzyme and already display the depressive phenotype in their naïve state.The purpose of the study is to pinpoint the causes of depression by aiming to determine if there are differences in neuroinflammation between the TPH2 knock-in mice and the control wild type mice.
Outside of Neuroscience, I love filming and editing. I am hoping to get the documentary studies certificate and I have loved the classes I have taken so far. In high school, I did publicity for various organizations in our school and through that, I was able to learn how to film and edit videos. In college, I continued this passion but am now learning about documentary work outside of just filming. For example, I am in a documentary poetry class and so far, it has been incredible. I love being able to have a space where I can be free and creative.
If I were a kitchen object, I would most likely be a pot. Pots are used typically to make a delicious blend of a lot of different substances. I really try to make sure I try to be as well-rounded as possible. Even though I love science, I also want to explore writing and photography to ensure that I have tried all sorts of experiences. I also want to make sure that college is more than just school. I have been really trying to use each and every moment of these four years to its fullest to ensure that I get a great college experience.
Rehan Khan
I am a junior from Hopkinsville KY majoring in Neuroscience and Chemistry and am Pre-Med.
I use an array of optogenetic and biochemistry techniques to determine the mode of circuit induced neurogenesis in the postnatal mouse brain.
My favorite non-academic hobby is binge watching an entire Netflix show. If I were a kitchen object, I would be a fork. In my opinion, a fork is the most versatile utensil. You can eat noodles with it, you can cut food with it if you do not have a knife, and if you want you can even eat cereal with it if you do not have a spoon. I like to think of myself as versatile…most of the time.
Rhianne Hsu
My name is Rhianne and I am a senior from Wilmington, NC majoring in BME & Neuroscience with a Psychology Minor. After graduating, I hope to work in the medical device industry with devices for neurological and/or cardiac applications.
I am a research assistant in the Naumann Lab where I assist with engineering projects, including design, construction, and design documentation of a custom 2-photon microscope.
Outside of school, I enjoy playing the guitar, singing, and photography. If I were a kitchen object, I would be a toaster oven.
Samantha Bouchal
I am a senior from Queen Creek, AZ majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in biology and chemistry planning on pursuing MD/PhD.
At Duke, I study the cell signaling that enables inflammatory breast cancer to metastasize to the brain. At Mayo Clinic, I study the cellular and molecular bases for regenerative therapies in spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis.
My favorite non-academic hobbies include playing piano and hanging out with dogs. If I were a kitchen object, I would be a coffee machine, to stay consistently caffeinated!
Shenyang Huang
My name is Shenyang and I’m from Hangzhou, China. I’m currently a senior double majoring in neuroscience and mathematics. I’m broadly interested in higher-level cognition like learning and memory, and I am planning on pursuing a PhD in cognitive neuroscience or psychology after graduating from Duke.
I’ve been working with Dr. Felipe De Brigard in his IMC lab and investigated questions related to causal reasoning, autobiographical memory, and moral cognition. My thesis will focus on what resting-state fMRI might reveal with regards to people’s performance in a range of psychological/cognitive tasks.
My favorite non-academic hobby is basketball! If I were a kitchen object, I would be a dishwasher – when you dump all tasks aside, chill/procrastinate, and try to finish all of them in one go.
Shreya Bhatia
I’m a senior from Great Falls, Virginia and am a Neuroscience Major with minors in Chemistry and Psychology! I am also pre-med.
I work in the Woldorff lab and am working on my senior thesis. I use EEG methodology to study prospective memory and attention.
I sing Indian Classical and Bollywood music! If I were a kitchen object, I’d be a spork because of how versatile it is!
Shun Li
I was born and raised in Guangzhou, China. I’m a junior majoring in Neuroscience and minor in computer science and psychology. After graduating, I plan to pursue a career path in neuroscience research and its integration with technology.
I’m researching in Wang Lab of under Dr. Fan Wang. I’m currently doing two projects that explores potential neural mechanisms of motor coordination between orofacial movement. Malfunctions in one or multiple neural circuits involved in orofacial movements, such as swallowing, breathing, or tongue control, can have detrimental results to the patient. One of my projects is about developing an automated computer-based workflow that can detect and analyze orofacial movement, swallowing and licking specifically, from high-speed videos using neural network. Another is trying to optogenetically manipulate premotor neurons in the brainstem that are potentially responsible for rhythm generation of the tongue, with the goal of uncovering cellular profiles of these central pattern generators (CPG) of licking.
I’m a member of Duke Badminton club and love basically every sport, especially billiard and basketball. I am a Barca fan and love watching Korean variety shows.
If I were a kitchen object, I’m not sure what I would be (cuz I really love cooking!), but definitely gonna stay away from any processing of fresh animals since I’ve already been trapped in anatomy-related stuffs for sufficient amount of time in the lab.
Sophia Li
My name is Sophia Li, and I am a junior from Acton, MA. I am majoring in Neuroscience and pursuing a minor in Political Science.
I conduct research in the Woldorff Lab in the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, using EEG/ERP methodologies. My projects mainly focus on attention and memory. I also have research experience in tactile stimulation and somatosensory cortex plasticity.
My favorite non-academic hobby is photography. If I were a kitchen object, I would be a pressure-cooker because I am always unnecessarily hyperstressed!!!!!
Vivian Chen
I am a senior from Dusseldorf, Germany majoring in Neuroscience, minoring in chemistry, and am pre-med.
I work in a neurology lab (Chiba-Falek lab) studying the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases. More specifically, I study the mechanistic role of alpha-synuclein protein in the pathology of Parkinson’s Disease. We use human-induced pluripotent stem cell models and I do a lot of immunostaining experiments and confocal imaging. I’m passionate about aging research and would be more than happy to talk about it or answer any questions!
My favorite non-academic hobbies are traveling and karaoke (it’s really a toss up). If I were a kitchen object, I’d be a toaster oven! They’re so versatile, easy to use (especially for the amateur cook like me) and they warm up quickly and efficiently.
Ziwei Zhang
I’m a senior majoring in Neuroscience B.S. and Psychology B.A. I’m from Tianjin, China. I’ve been working in the Egner Lab since my sophomore year. I plan to pursue a Ph.D. degree in cognitive neuroscience to combine behavioral, neuro-imaging and computational methods to answer my question of interests.
My current research focuses on cognitive control, especially how it varies across contexts. Moving on to grad school, I’m interested in how attention, memory and learning interact dynamically with each other to help us carry out goal-directed behavior in a multi-dimensional world. If you are interested in discussing human cognitive ability, definitely talk to me:)
I sing in an Acapella group:) Also enjoy doing Yoga and drinking tea b/c they help me find that body-mind balance. If I were a kitchen object, I would be an egg beater b/c egg is my favorite ingredient. Everything is so good if you add an egg, or 2,3,4…