Abstract: The brain naturally processes salient stimuli from the environment. As salience is a dynamic quality, an equally flexible neural circuit is needed for this, and one has not yet been identified. The mushroom body in the brain of Drosophila fruit flies is implicated in associative learning, so we used it to study possible circuitry for computing salience. We used a split GAL4 system to target the expression of CsChrimson, a positive ion channel activated by shining red light, in different cells in the mushroom body for 35 different lines of flies. We were then able to selectively activate these cells during a behavioral assay where we triggered continuous grooming behavior to examine alerting in response to red light activation of specific mushroom body cells. By doing this, we could establish the sufficiency of certain cells in the structure to trigger alerting as a behavioral response to salient stimuli. Email:[email protected]
What Does Research Mean To You? I love the thought of being an expert. Like most over-achievers, I used to think that meant knowing everything (these were specifically grade school thoughts), and that seemed exhausting and unattainable. As I got older and became aware of the field of research, I realized that I could work hard to be the expert at one thing, even if it was really specific, if I put in the time and effort and creativity needed. Now, I am excited to contribute to the pool of human knowledge in my one specific area. Doing research someday means finding something new and using it to make a tangible impact on the world around me, taking the expertise I work hard to earn and applying it in a meaningful way. Tell Us About Your Journey I started out applying to the Green Fellowship to get more of a wet lab research experience after spending 2 years in Dr. Maguire’s developmental neurolinguistics lab doing EEG work. I wanted to try every ‘type’ of research on the brain I could so I could figure out what I like the most. I had already worked with adults, kids, and rats, and now I decided I might as well try working with Drosophila fruit flies. Under Dr. Hattori’s guidance, I was able to join a lab based around genetics and very specific biology skills with only a high school biology background, and become comfortable enough in the lab setting to begin working independently just two weeks in. My PI and lab mates made this a hugely enriching experience where I have felt comfortable enough to ask questions and learn a huge amount in a 4 month period, even if we weren’t meeting in person towards the end of it all with the pandemic going on. This was an amazing experience that has confirmed my goals to become a researcher, and I am very happy to have put myself out there to try something I never could have imagined myself doing.
How Did the Pandemic Affect Me? As someone that wants to go on to pursue a PhD, the Green Fellowship was an absolutely essential part of finally confirming that this lifestyle is for me, and that I am capable of going after it. It took a lot of work, not just reading papers and doing the actual labor, but keeping my brain on at all times to take everything in and be able to participate as much as possible in an intellectual environment. But the work was incredibly rewarding. Building relationships with my PI and other lab members showed me how positive a research environment can be, and I felt like they supported me through the learning curve of studying a subject I had almost no background in. Especially when remote work started after lab closures with the pandemic, I learned how supportive a network a research lab can be. This whole experience taught me about how I learn, how to manage my time, how to collaborate with people way smarter than me and how to present in a way classes never could. I feel a lot more prepared for applying to PhD programs coming out of this semester, and I am more confident in my ability to build a career in science, even if it’s not necessarily going to be anywhere near the topic I studied.
Where am I now? I'm going to start in the fall as a student in the Applied Developmental Science PhD program at the UVA Curry School of Education, where I'll be studying the neuroscience of learning in early childhood with the goal of helping to develop more effective educational interventions.
Advice for Future Green Fellows
I would tell future Green fellows not to limit themselves when they are looking for labs based on what they think they can do. No matter how much you think you know when you go into the lab on the first day, even if you’re a Biochem major going into a Biochem lab, the things you are going to be working on will be way beyond your existing knowledge base. So I definitely recommend taking this opportunity to explore subjects you’re interested in but might otherwise not get the chance to work on, if a complete lab experience is what you’re looking for out of this.