Simpson Places First at Student Research Week
As part of the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program, Simpson needed her own research project and something she could present in a public forum. During the course of her work in the Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics Department, she found her niche and has spent the better part of a year studying the relationships between age, alcohol and astrocytes in female rats.
As a biology major, Simpson's interest in neuroscience started out in a much more general setting.
"I had taken molecular cell biology and studied basic neuroscience," Simpson says. "But I was looking for more depth, so this opportunity was perfect for me."
As a result of her work, Simpson gave a 10-minute oral presentation on her research March 29 at the Student Research Week on the Texas A&M University campus. Simpson found out the following week that she had placed first in the Life Sciences group, an honor she was pleased to win.
Simpson will continue to work in the department through the end of the semester and for one month during the summer. Currently, she is finishing her undergraduate thesis in preparation for graduation in May.
So how did the last 11 months have an impact on her? Simpson is headed to the University of Texas Southwestern in the fall to study neuroscience in the graduate program.
"My favorite thing during the last year has been cultivating cells invitro," Simpson says. "It's amazing that you can take live cells in a dish and take care of them. This experience has helped me find what I am most interested in."
Simpson was hired to work in Dr. Sohrabji's lab with monies from the John William Warren III Brain Tumor Research Memorial Fund. The fund was established by Bob and Sarah Jane White, parents of John William Warren III, a 1984 graduate of Texas A&M University. Warren passed away in 2004 after a courageous battle with brain cancer.
