circadian – Miniature Brain Machinery

March 8, 2019

Gillette Delivers Beckman Director’s Seminar

Martha Gillette delivers the Beckman Director's Talk

The MBM Program’s Principal Investigator, Dr. Martha Gillette, delivered the Beckman Institute Director’s Seminar March 7 on “The Clocks that Time Us: Dynamics in Brain Metabolism and Sleep.”

Abstract: Our behaviors—eating, learning, sleeping—are shaped by a clock in the brain. …

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.