bio – Miniature Brain Machinery

September 25, 2020February 9, 2022

Meet a Trainee: Shannon Murphy

Shannon Murphy joined the program as a first-year graduate student January 1, 2018 and is expected to graduate in 2022. Her major is chemistry and she completed her undergraduate degree in analytical chemistry at Albion College, Michigan. Her research topic …

Discoveries relevant to our brains, which influence and control such a wide range of actions, emotions, and thoughts, have relied on two complimentary approaches: cognitive and behavior studies and brain cell and tissue biology studies. Our research traineeship program utilizing miniature brain machinery, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), combines these two paradigms to train the next generation of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) workforce to advance discovery. Our students are recruited from neuroscience, cell and developmental biology, molecular and integrative physiology, chemistry, chemical and biomolecular engineering, bioengineering, electrical and computer engineering, and psychology to foster a culture of innovation and translational research, and will significantly impact efforts to understand and control brain activities ongoing at other institutions.