Neurobiology REU Personal Statement

Studying Biology and Chemistry prepared me for further independent study, and my substantial laboratory experience provided me the opportunity to interact with multiple scholars and experts in the field. Within my four years in college, I took pleasure in all my laboratory courses and have benefitted from a broad exposure to different laboratories and scientific techniques and equipment which are vital in the Clinical Laboratory Sciences field. My instructors taught me to look at scientific questions using a systematic approach that will serve me well in continuing my education and throughout my career. Deciding to major in Biology positively molded me into a more confident person and guided me to pursue a fascinating specialty, such as Clinical Laboratory

Villegas Although it was not that long ago that I started doing research, Dr. Villegas has given me the privilege of working in his lab. He is currently conducting research on a rat model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Working with Dr. Villegas has allowed me to learn new scientific methods and facts. Such methods and facts include, but are not limited to, tissue sectioning, electrode implantation, and recording data.

Alzheimer’s disease is a specific cognitive impairment that falls under the dementia umbrella. Currently there is no cure and researchers are still looking to find the cause for diseases like Alzheimer’s. It is important, as the baby-boomer generation ages, to make sure the general public is educated on common myths and misconceptions about dementia. 1.

As an incoming Junior, I was able to join a lab of graduate students who were researching brain development in drosophila after mutating its DNA sequence. Right away I was enthralled. I loved the endless possibilities that came with experimentation, even when though our results were inconclusive. My experience in the program also taught me to think independently as I was separated from my peers.

Alzheimer 's is a disease that interferes with normal function of the brain related to memory and other important functions, and also deteriorates the brain. How exactly does the brain just deteriorate on itself? The answer to that question has to do with two things called plaques and tangles. Plaques are clumps of protein also referred as beta-amyloid that destroy brain cells in a couple different ways. One for examples is cell-to-cell communication, the process by sending and receiving signals between cells that initiate a certain reaction.

The NOVA documentary “Naturally Obsessed: the making of a scientist” shows the lives of three post-graduate students at Columbia University and their experiments and struggles they faced in the lab and the impact their research had on their mental and social health. One of the students, Rob, has aspirations to become like his mentor Larry and have his own lab and students. Personally, I relate more with Rob than the other students in the film because like him, I tend to look up to the people I admire. Additionally, Rob and I share a steadfast resolve when doing work regardless of the difficulty. Although Rob has been unsuccessful for two and a half years in producing successful results, he is still determined to finish his research and earn

The article titled “Half of Alzheimer 's cases misdiagnosed” made it evidently clear that Alzheimer’s disease is a disease we have yet to fully understand or treat. Not only is there a lack of information about this disease, it is common for the similar side effects of dementia to be confused with Alzheimer’s disease. To clarify what dementia and Alzheimer’s disease is, I will provide an authentic definition of each. To begin, I will state that there are different forms of dementia. According to a site that specializes in providing information about dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, states that “Dementia is a general term for loss of memory and other mental abilities severe enough to interfere with daily life.

In a society that embraces the advancement of scientific knowledge, my desire to contribute in the field of science is incredibly strong. Specifically, I am greatly interested in the micro-sciences, such as biochemistry and general chemistry. These academic programs focus on the building blocks of all living and nonliving material throughout the universe. This research offers me endless opportunities to make a positive difference.

Student Name: Kayla Stradomski Course # and Section/Time: COMM 101 DAH; Monday, 11:00 a.m. - 1:50 p.m. Topic: Alzheimer’s disease General Purpose: To inform Specific Purpose Statement: To educate my audience on the aspects of Alzheimer’s disease. INTRODUCTION Attention Getter: Can you imagine your life if your memories and cognition slowly started deteriorating?

Introduction Alzheimer’s is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and gets worse over time. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events or short memory loss. As the disease advances, symptoms can include difficulty with language, disorientation, mood swing and behavior problems. As a person 's condition progressed, they often withdraw from friends and family. Slowly, bodily functions deteriorated and eventually death occurs.

My senior year, my AP biology teacher recommended me for an internship with WISE (women in science and engineering). I was the only student from my school to be accepted and I was placed in the chemical and biomolecular engineering department at Johns Hopkins. I worked with a PhD student with the ultimate goal of creating signals that indicated cells specific behaviors depending on their location by developing patterns with DNA. To do this, I tested different reactions in a spectrofluorometer to measure the fluorescence emitted by each sample. This hands-on experience fascinated me and helped me realize that I am truly passionate about laboratory

Despite the fact that watching the slow deterioration has been agonising, I have also found it very captivating as to how such a complex organ can change to a degeneration condition. As a result of this personal experience, my desire to study neuroscience has increased. My obsession with Science has prompted me to study neuroscience and this

Dementia is one of the most feared diseases and expensive to society currently. It is defined as a clinical syndrome of acquired cognitive impairment that determines decrease of intellectual enough capacity to interfere social and functional performance of the individual and their quality of life. It is a known fact that patients tend to express themselves through their behaviour and expect their carers to understand this notion. The diverse kinds of causes of different behaviours are inability to communicate, difficulty with tasks, unfamiliar surroundings, loud noises, frantic environment, and physical discomfort. Many diseases can cause dementia, some of which may be reversible.

AD-process is a remarkably selective one in that it develops in only a minority of neuronal types while sparing all of the rest. Clinical symptoms develop subtly, and nerve cell impairment leads to a gradual loss of fundamental functions that first appear after a given threshold is exceeded (Figure 1)(Braak and Del Tredici, 2015). Morphologically speaking, some neural cells are more vulnerable than the others (Figure 5) i.e. projecting neurons with an axon that is disproportionately long in relation to the size of cell soma(Braak and Del Tredici, 2015). Most prominent loss of neurons which were first gained attention were cholinergic neurons followed by a loss of cholinergic transmission resulting in learning and memory dysfunctioning(Kar et

Time spent at a University is more than just obtaining a higher education, it is also about getting the highest life experience possible and finding yourself as an individual on your own. If granted the opportunity to be a Hopkins Blue Jay my main academic focus would lie in the Krieger school of Arts and Science. For the past seven years I have known that my academic passion lies within the wonders of the brain. If able I would love to double major in Neuroscience and either Behavioral Biology or Cognitive Science, while that is still unknown, I do know that either path I decide to take has much to offer me including the opportunity to grow. While I am goal-oriented and focused on building a career in Neuroscience I am open to allow the knowledge