jennie gardner – Miniature Brain Machinery

November 10, 2021February 9, 2022

Meet a Trainee: Jennie Gardner

Jennie Gardner joined the program on January 1, 2021, while a third-year student, and is expected to graduate in 2024. Her graduate program is psychology and she completed her undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. …

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.