Education & Awards

Thesis: Determining the functional architecture underlying the spatiotemporal tuning and emergence of speed processing in ferret V1

Advisor:
Stephen Van Hooser, Ph.D.

Thesis Committee:
Susan Birren, Ph.D., Chair
Jonathan Touboul, Ph.D.
Christine Grienberger, M.D., Ph.D.

Research

• Determining the functional architecture underlying the spatiotemporal tuning and emergence of speed processing in the ferret primary visual cortext (V1)

Awards

• Scientist Mentoring & Diversity Program (SMDP) Biotech Scholar, International Center for Professional Development (ICPD) (2023 - 2024). 

• Neuroscience Scholars Program (NSP) Fellow, Society for Neuroscience (2022 - 2024)

• Harry S. Levitan Prize (2022)

• Pulin Sampat Memorial Award for Outstanding Teaching in the Life Science (2021)

• Hispanic Scholarship Fund Finalist (2021)

University Involvement & Committees

• Joint Biology/Neuroscience Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee
  (2021 - 2023)

• Posse Mentor (2021 - 2023)

• Neuroscience Ph.D. Admissions Committee (2021 - 2023)

• Science 2A Stakeholder Committee (2021)

• Division of Science Curriculum Task Force (2021)

• Galaxy Mentor (2019 - 2021)

• Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS) Dean Search Advisory (2020 - 2021)

Funding

• Joint Psychology/Neuroscience Training Grant: "Predoctoral research training at the interface of brain, body, and behavior (BBB), NIGMS Grant No. 1T32GM132498

Research Experiences

• Proadaptive and proapoptotic regulation of GRP78 under hypoxic conditions, Dr. Jenny Zilberberg, John Theurer Cancer Center, Hackensack, NJ

• Native free radical mediated crosslinking of functionalized PEGs as a targeted delivery mechanism, Dr. David I. Shreiber, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ

• Investigating the effects of total-CaMKIV through Immunostaining, Dr. Gina Turrigiano, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA

• Molecular Analysis of Several Gnaphosidae Genera species of Asia and Austrialia. Dr. Maria Shumskaya, Kean University & American Musuem of Natural History, NJ & NY.

• Serological analysis of IL-6 Stimualted RAW cells for screening CCR1 Antagonists, Dr. Salvatore Coniglio, Kean University, NJ

Awards

• New Jersey Governor STEM Scholar (2018)

• Tri-Beta Biological Honor Society John C. Johnson Award (2018)

• Tri-Beta Biological Honor Society Northeast Region 2 District Conference Best Undergraduate Poster (2018)

• 50th Annual MACUB Conference Best Undergraduate Poster Award (2018)

• SACNAS Travel Award Recipient (2017)

• Rutgers University Cellular Bioengineering Entrepreneurship Best LinkedIn Profile (2017)

• Rutgers University Cellular Bioengineering Entrepreneurship Best Poster Award (2017)

• Summer Research Fellow in Cellular Bioengineering at Rutgers University (2017)

• Louise Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Student Ambassador Award (2017)

• Who's Who Among Students In American Universities and Colleges (2017)

• Kean University Alumni Foundation Student Leadership Award (2017)

• Summer Research Fellow in Cell and Molecular Visualization at Brandeis University (2016)

• Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) Travel Award Recipient (2016)

• Louise Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Student Scholar Award (2016)

Selected Achievements

• Resident Assisant for Rogers Hall (2018)

• Tennis Team Assistant Coach/Hitting Partner (2018)

• Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships (CURF) Advisor (2018)

• President, Tri-Beta Biological Honor Society (2017-2018)

• President, Biotechnology Club (2017-2018)

• Treasurer, Tri-Beta Biological Honor Society (2016-2017)

• Treasurer, Biotechnology Club (2016-2017)

Selected Scholarships

• Julius and Katheryn Hommer Foundation Scholarship (2017-2018)

• Richard & Susan Kogan Endowed Scholarship (2017-2018)

• New Jersey Center for Science, Technology, and Mathematics Academic Merit Scholarship Recipient (2014-2018)

• Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Research Grant Awardee (2014-2018)

• Fred C. Rummel Foundation Academic Scholarship (2014-2017)

• Comcast Leaders & Achievers Scholarship (2014)