Education

BA, Biology and Neuroscience, Coe College

Introduction and Research

I started my undergraduate career with plans to major in English and Literature. However, throughout my studies I maintained an interest in Neuroscience. I decided to explore this interest and apply for a summer research position at my undergraduate college. This first experience in the lab opened my eyes to the joys of research and motivated me to pursue a scientific career.

During my time at my undergraduate college, I worked with microglial cells to study the development of neurodegenerative disorders in relation to neuroinflammation. In addition to studying neuroinflammation, I examined neuronal repair via the upregulation of growth factors (eg. BNDF & CNTF) in microglial cells.

Upon finishing my undergraduate career at Coe College, I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Neuroscience. To further my career, I am now pursuing a graduate research degree through the University of Iowa’s Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience. Due to my continued interest in neurodegeneration, I joined Dr. Hefti’s lab, which studies the development of Alzheimer’s disease in human brain tissue and in cell culture systems. My current project is to study the relationship between beta amyloid and the tau protein in human cell lines. I am very thankful for the opportunities that the University of Iowa and Dr. Hefti have provided, and I am excited to make positive contributions to the scientific realm.