"Life is short. Smile while you still have teeth."

Research

UTHealth School of Dentistry

Student Researcher, Jeter Lab

Principle Investigator: Dr. Cameron B. Jeter

• Conducted a clinical study to study the correlation between tooth loss and dementia in elderly patients.

• Recruited and interviewed participants; performed comprehensive oral health screening on participants.

• Collected and analyzed oral health data and microbiological samples.

• Presented research findings in the 2021 UTHealth School of Dentistry Research Showcase.

Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Center

Student Researcher, McGinley Lab

Principal Investigator: Dr. Matthew McGinley

• Trained over 50 lab mice in an auditory reinforcement learning task.

• Recorded and interpreted lab data using customized LabVIEW and R programs in order to analyze the degree to which hunger manipulates motivation of mice in reinforcement learning tasks.

• Fed and monitored the weight and health status of mice regularly and kept detailed lab notes.

• Presented research findings to Principal Investigator and lab members.

Rice University BioScience Research Collaborative

Student Researcher, Kemere Lab

Principal Investigator: Dr. Caleb Kemere

• Collected and analyzed data to study the behavioral impact of Rett syndrome, a genetic disorder, using the mice model.

• Quantified and compared behavioral data of MECP2 knockout mice and wild type mice using DeepLabCut, a method for 3D markerless pose estimation based on deep neural networks.

• Improved the accuracy of the position tracking function in the customized DeepLabCut program.

• Maintained detailed lab notes and presented results to Principal Investigator and lab members.

Rice University MD Anderson Biological Lab

Student Researcher

Advisors: Dr. Carrie McNeil, Dr. Yocheved Schindler

• Studied the development of the snail Biomphalaria glabrata to comprehend its role in transmitting the tropical disease Schistosomiasis.

• Cloned germ layer genes Twist 2 and OTX to study the embryonic development of B. glabrata and how it was affected by the disease-causing parasite.

• Performed gene homology analysis, primer design, PCR, gene cloning, gel electrophoresis, spectrophotometry, and in situ hybridization.