President: Sera Balkir
Sera Balkir is a senior from Chicago, majoring in neuroscience with minors in global health and chemistry. Her research experience includes working on retinal prosthetics, modulating visual perception, and contributing to the Reproductive Healthcare Bass Connections project. In addition to research, Sera enjoys writing for The Muse Magazine, exploring Durham’s coffee scene, and spending time with friends.
VP: Nana Osaki
Nana is a junior from Madison, Wisconsin and Okayama, Japan. She is majoring in neuroscience and minoring in Spanish and Korean. She is a part of the Minga Right Hemisphere Stroke lab and is passionate about studying the intersection between language, cognitive neuroscience, and communication. She intends to pursue a career in academia after graduation. In addition to NMU, she is involved in Femmes+, Duke Swing, and the Duke Athletics marketing department. Outside of academics, Nana loves to attend concerts, spend time with her family, and try new restaurants.
Secretary and Webmaster: Kristina Schaufele
Kristina is a junior from Atlanta, Georgia. She is majoring in neuroscience and minoring in chemistry and computer science. She intends to pursue a career in medicine/healthcare, which is partly motivated by her research interest in the neurological basis and development of diseases like autism spectrum disorder. She also is involved in clinical research, partaking in the Spine Surgery Patient Navigators Bass Connections program her sophomore year, where she examined the effect of social support on spine surgery patients. In addition to NMU, she is involved in Femmes+, PhiDE, and DTech at Duke. Outside of academics, Kristina loves to run and workout, travel, and do cooking nights/try new restaurants with friends.
Treasurer: Ashley Alcantar Magana
Ashley Alcantar is a senior majoring in neuroscience with a minor in chemistry and the Latino Studies in the Global South certificate. Outside of class, she does research in the Huang Lab studying cortical development via the genetic profiles and projection trajectories of projection neurons derived from Pax6+ radial glia. She is also involved in Help Desk and Beyond Borders, where she has been able to engage with the communities and systemic issues that have motivated her academic and personal interests. Originally from Oakwood, Georgia, Ashley aspires to go to medical school after graduation. In her free time, she enjoys reading, trying new (to her) foods, and catching up with friends.
Upperclassman Rep.: Annika Socia
Annika Socia is a senior majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in Chemistry and a PPE Certificate. Her interests focus on the intersection of neuroscience and philosophy, particularly how these fields influence moral decision-making. Currently, she is conducting research on memory and forgiveness. She is originally from a small town in Vermont, and after graduation, she plans to take a gap year before attending medical school. Outside of academics, she enjoys skiing and dancing and is a member of Sabrosura, Duke’s Latin dance team!
Underclassman Rep.: Joanna Kang
Joanna is a senior majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in Chemistry. She is involved in neuroimmunology research, a field that studies the crosslink of the immune system and the brain, particularly how early immune activation can have long-term neural and behavioral implications. In addition to NMU, she is involved in Help Desk, Asian Intervarsity, Femmes+, and volunteers at the hospital. She is from Northern Virginia, and in her free time, she loves to cafe hop, try out new shows, and bake with her friends!
Publicity Chair: Sabreen Syed
Sabreen is a senior from Raleigh, North Carolina. She is majoring in neuroscience with a minor in chemistry and a certificate in child policy research. At Duke, she’s involved in developmental psychology research at the Early Childhood Cognition Lab as well as policy research with Duke Hospital concerned with treating pediatric heart disease patients in high-conflict regions. In her free time, she enjoys making collages, watching movies, and putting together outfits.
Peer Mentoring: Disha Jotsinghani and Hayden Kenny
Disha is a senior from Columbus, OH majoring in Neuroscience with minors in Global Health and Chemistry. She currently conducts clinical research in the iMIND Lab with Duke’s Department of Ophthalmology and basic science research in the Varghese Lab as part of Duke’s Department of Biomedical Engineering. Outside of NMU, she is involved in Miracle at Duke, Duke EyeServe, Duke Global Brigades, and the Spine Surgery Patient Navigators Bass Connections program. In her free time, Disha enjoys baking, spending time with friends, and going for hikes!
Hayden is a senior from Summit NJ majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Chemistry and Computational Bioinformatics. His research focuses on using electrical stimulation of the Vagus nerve to modulate brain waves and attentional control. He plans on going to medical school after graduation but has had extensive research experience both in and outside of Duke and would love to share some of his experiences to help others in the neuroscience department.
Pratt representative: Angela Claveria
