About (Summary)
PhD student in the Daoyun Ji Systems Neuro Lab at Baylor College of Medicine (https://www.bcm.edu/research/labs-and-centers/faculty-labs/daoyun-ji-lab) who aspires to be a lifelong student of the nervous system.
Currently, my intellectual resources are being poured into my thesis project on the neuroplasticity underlying Contextual Fear Memory acquisition and subsequent mnemonic processes (e.g. retrieval, sleep-mediated consolidation, etc). I study the synaptic plasticity that occurs in a specific bundle of hippocampal connections: the famous Schaffer collateral synaptic pathway. The main technique we make use of in our lab is microdrive tetrode recordings in freely moving rats and mice in order to answer questions about how the brain encodes, stores, and uses information pertaining to episodic memory. Therefore, I use electrophysiological measurements such as fEPSPs and spiking probability as proxy indicators of synaptic transmission strength. Changes reflected in these measurements are due to changes in the strength of the synapses upstream of the cells being recorded; in our case in CA1 pyramidal cells.
Besides my working on my project, my passions include scicomm, science policy advocacy, and dismantling stigma surrounding mental illness through education and awareness. Thus, I engage in many initiatives and work outside of the lab that I consider greatly important and that contribute to my fulfillment, some of which I've outlined here.
Education
Honors and Awards
Magna Cum Laude
Graduated from B.S. with High Honors
Echegaray F Espada Endowment Scholarship
Recipients are outstanding Puerto Rican students that demonstrate potential.
Maximizing Access to Research Careers (MARC Scholar)
Grant awarded to exceptional students with promise and ambitions for life sciences research.
Honorable Mention of Best Oral Presentation at the SSRP Amgen Scholars Symposium @ Stanford University
Honorable Mention of Best Oral Presentation at the SSRP Amgen Scholars Symposium @ Stanford University
Honor Society Graduate Achiever Scholarship
This scholarship seeks to reward an ambitious graduate student who has performed at a superior rate both academically and holistically.
Grad School Interests
Systems Neuroscience approach to studying cognition; specifically, how the brain encodes, stores, and manipulates episodic memory. Moreover, interested in the neuroplasticity mediating contextual
Establishing a strong [email protected] chapter, be a good mentor for the AGSD Mentorship program, and a decent teacher for the kids at the Saturday Morning Science groups, etc. But most importantly, revive the science policy group with fellow student advocates.
Job Experience
Current Scholarships
- $1,000 Core Values Scholarship - Deadline: July 30, 2022
- $1,000 Community Service Scholarship - Deadline: July 30, 2022
- $2,000 Undergraduate Achiever Scholarship - Deadline: July 30, 2022
- $2,000 Graduate Achiever Scholarship - Deadline: July 25, 2022
- $1,000 Emerging Leaders - Deadline: July 25, 2022
- $1,000 Society Involvement Scholarship - Deadline: July 25, 2022
Upcoming and Past Events
National Events
New Benefits
Popular Benefits
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Careers Career Insider Premium Access to over 100 Industry Guides and 5,000 Company Profiles
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Regalia HonorSociety.org Honor Cords & Tassels
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Health Discount Plan Careington Dental Plan
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Discounts and Cash Back New BenefitHub Portal