This page is no longer being updated and remains online for informational and historical purposes only. The information is accurate as of the last page update.
For questions about page contents, contact the Communications Division.
Three neuroscience majors are spending their summers studying bat sonar, mental illness, and the consequences of prenatal drug exposure through the Lafayette Alumni Research Network (LEARN).
LEARN, which is now in its fifth year, provides eight to ten week paid internships hosted by alumni researchers who are leaders in their field. The program was established in part through a grant from the McCutcheon Foundation in 2002.
This year’s recipients are Danielle Sliva ’07 (Monroe, Conn.), Sylvina Mullins ’07 (Johnstown, Pa.), and Lori Cooper ’07 (Brackney, Pa.). Their projects will conclude Aug. 4.
Sliva is working with Jay Weiss ’63, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University. Weiss studies the neurochemical basis of mental illness by using animal models and examines the relationship between stress and immune responses.
“My objective is to become familiar and experienced with some of the techniques utilized in a behavioral neuroscience laboratory,” says Sliva. “[I hope] to demonstrate my results via an oral and poster presentation.”
During the internship, Sliva will be comparing the brain functions of rats that have been selectively bred to show high and low motor activity in response to a swim test. The research will explore the physiological triggers of depression.
“I hope that being a part of the LEARN program will provide me with an unforgettable learning experience that will serve as a stepping stone on my path toward a professional career in the sciences,” she says.
Mullins is conducting researchwith Lisa Schrott ’87, assistant professor of pharmacology at Louisiana State University’s Health Science Center.
“I am completely thrilled to be able to participate in this program,” Mullins says. “I think it’s an excellent way for neuroscience majors to connect with alumni and to be able to see the possible career paths available once we graduate from Lafayette.”
Schrott’s work focuses on prenatal exposure in rats to different psychoactive substances. Mullins will help her to determine how exposure affects baby rats’ susceptibility to addiction later in life, as well as whether it predisposes them to various other ailments, such as decreased immunity and anxiety.
“I feel that I am a good match with Dr. Schrott because I have a very strong interest in psychopharmacology and would very much like to further explore this field,” says Mullins. “I have planned to do a thesis during my senior year and I hope that this summer experience will give me some direction and focus as to what I would like to study.”
Cooper is being mentored by James Simmons ’65, professor of neuroscience at Brown University.
“I am very excited to be part of the LEARN program,” Cooper says. “It is a great opportunity for Lafayette students to gain experience in lab settings.”
Simmons studies the biological sonar, or echolocation, of bats as an auditory imaging system. The research is used to learn how bats process echoes of their ultrasonic sounds to perceive the location and identity of the flying insects they prey upon.
“I feel as though this will help me solidify my career path,” says Cooper. “I am interested in going to grad school after Lafayette and this opportunity to work in another lab will help me determine if this is what I want to do with my future. Each lab has a different feel to it and I want to make sure that it is research in general that I enjoy and not just the lab at Lafayette.”