July!

It has been a busy summer in the RRG lab, with three NSURE rotation students and Sara Anne McCommon (USC-Aiken) joining us for her “home lab” for the remainder of the NSURE program. She is really learning a lot and we really appreciate her hard work and enthusiasm.

Labo, Rachel, and Raag are also hard at work during their first term in the lab as undergraduate researchers. They are really making progress with their projects, asking great questions, and thinking deeply. I’m really glad to have them in the lab and look forward to seeing what they accomplish!

Tulip and Jennifer are also hard at work on their projects. They will have their first committee meeting (Tulip) and qualifying exam (Jennifer) this summer, so they have also been preparing for those events. They are learning a lot and stretching to take more leadership roles in the lab.

And of course Britessia has been helping me to organize the lab, train the students, and prepare for our recirc system build. She is really a rock for our research group.

I have been trying to manage all of these projects and also work on my first NSF proposal. I also have reviewed some grants and papers, written several letters of recommendation, and started preparations for my classes this fall. The summer is flying by and we are getting some stuff done!

NSURE, part III!

We were so happy to welcome UGA undergrad Kendall Clay to the lab for the 3rd rotation of the NSURE program. She did a great job and we have really enjoyed having all 3 NSURE rotation students (Kendall, Ivy, and Sara Anne) in the lab. Sara Anne will return next week to spend the remainder of the program in the lab.

UGA undergrads Labo, Raag, and Rachel have been working away cloning their new genes this summer and they have gotten a lot done in their first ~2 weeks. They have been reading papers, participating in lab meeting, and otherwise adjusting to life in the lab.

It has been so fun to get to know so many new students this summer and I can’t wait to see the discoveries we have in store for us!

NSURE, continued!

We welcome NSURE student Ivy Khevali to the lab this week. She is coming to us from Del Mar College in Corpus Christi. She will be followed next week by UGA student Kendall Clay. Then the lab will be available for the remainder of the NSURE program for students who choose the lab as their “home” lab. Lots of exciting science and learning going on in the lab!

Summer students!

We’re excited to welcome our new lab members this week. Undergraduate students Raag, Rachel, and Labo are going to join us on Friday. We have also welcomed our 1st cohort of NSURE students to UGA and the RRG lab is currently hosting student Sara Anne McCommon, from the University of South Carolina at Aiken. The UGA NSURE program (funded by the NIH) is a neuroscience research experience for undergrads and has 3 1-week rotations before students join a “home” lab, so we are likely to have another couple of NSURE students before the summer is over. Welcome to all new RRG lab members!

Great news!

I’m so excited that I can finally announce that I was selected as a 2019 recipient of the McKnight Scholar Award, an annual award for junior faculty in the field of neuroscience. This award will fund two of our exciting projects in the area of neural regeneration. The McKnight Foundation is a family foundation (founded by William and Maude McKnight) based in the midwest that “advances a more just, creative, and abundant future where people and planet thrive.” The foundation funds work in a diverse set of areas, including education, the arts, the environment, AND neuroscience! I am the first McKnight Scholar Award recipient from the University of Georgia, so this award is exciting and also a huge honor. I was so grateful to be considered as a finalist; this gave me the opportunity to discuss our work with the esteemed members of the McKnight Scholar Awards Selection Committee. They asked wonderful and thought-provoking questions and their feedback was incredibly valuable. I’m looking forward to the opportunities that this Award will give to me and the lab, moving forward.