Year you started the Neuroscience Program: 2005

Why you chose the UC Denver Neuroscience Program: the students and faculty all seemed so supportive and the whole atmosphere felt centered around collaboration.

What labs you rotated in: Curt Freed, Diego Restrepo, Manisha Patel

What lab you joined and why: still rotating

Short description of your project: I'm in Manisha Patel's lab right now, looking at the effect of overexpressing mitochondrial aconitase on neurotoxicity. I transfect cultures of midbrain neurons with a virus that overexpresses aconitase and then treat with a toxin often used to study Parkinsonís disease.

Where you attended undergrad and what your major/minor(s) were: Washington University BA 2003 Double major in Biology and a program called Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology

What you did (if anything) between undergrad and grad school: I spent one year as a full-time middle school mentor with AmeriCorps St. Louis, then I traveled Europe for 2 months, then finally spent the last year doing Alzheimer's research at Wash U.

Other school affiliated activities/clubs you are involved in: I'm first year, there's no time for school activities!

What you like to do outside of school: run, sing, ski, go to the mountains, take my dog to the park, watch movies, cook (when there's time...)