Events 2023

NEUROCITY 2023 — pathway program scholars’ final poster presentations

August 4, 2023

Student scholars from the NEUROCITY program presented their research projects during the 2023 Summer Undergraduate Research Programs poster session at the School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Rochester Medical Center on Thursday, August 3, 2023. NEUROCITY — a partnership program between the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience Diversity Commission and City College of New York (CCNY) — provides CCNY undergraduates from historically marginalized backgrounds an opportunity to study in neuroscience-related research labs at the University of Rochester for 10 weeks during the summer.

Naira Abdelkarim, CCNY

Mentor: Doug Portman, PhD

Poster Title: Investigation of Sexually Dimorphic Behavioral States of C. elegans Development

Authors: Naira Abdelkarim, Gregory Reilly, Chance Bainbridge, and Douglas S. Portman

Jason Cabral, CCNY

Mentor: Tom O'Connor, PhD

Poster Title: Prenatal Maternal Stress Physiology and Child Fear Behavior: Preliminary Evidence of Sexual Dimorphism at 12months

Authors: Jason Cabral, Thomas G. O’Connor

Angelica Carmona, CCNY

Mentor: Karl Rosengren, PhD

Poster Title: Examining Students’ Conceptions of Variability using Markov Chain Monte Carlo with People (MCMCp)

Authors: Angelica M. Carmona, Olympia N. Mathiaparanam, Pablo León- Villagrá, Karl S. Rosengren, Daphna Buchsbaum

Chisom Ibe, CCNY

Mentor: Julie Fudge, MD

Poster Title: Understanding microglia morphology following maternal separation in macaque amygdala

Authors: Chisom R. Ibe, Dennisha P. King, Ania K. Majewska, Judy L. Cameron, Judie L. Fudge

Catherine Rivas, CCNY

Mentor: Maria Quiñones-Cordero, PhD

Poster Title: Understanding Dementia Care Barriers among Latino Caregivers

Authors: Catherine Rivas, Maria Quiñones

Nicole Serino, CCNY

Mentor: Manuel Gomez-Ramirez, PhD

Poster Title: Effects of Cueing Type on Distractor Suppression in the Sense of Touch

Authors: Nicole Serino, Alyssa Ignaco, Manuel Gomez-Ramirez

Jazmine Taylor, CCNY

Mentor: Ben Suarez-Jimenez, PhD

Poster Title: The Effect of Trauma Exposure on Attention Allocation in Threat-Learning

Authors: Jazmine Taylor, Claire Marino, Benjamin Suarez-Jimenez

Laura Villatoro, CCNY

Mentor: Ania Majewska, PhD

Poster Title: Microglia Morphology is Unchanged in the Somatosensory Cortex of an FMRP Deficient Mouse Model

Authors: Laura Villatoro, Alexis Feidler, and Ania Majewska

NEUROEAST 2023 — pathway program scholars’ final poster presentations

August 4, 2023

Student scholars from the NEUROEAST program presented their research projects during the 2023 Summer Undergraduate Research Programs poster session at the School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Rochester Medical Center on Thursday, August 3, 2023. NEUROEAST is a partnership program between the Neuroscience Diversity Commission and East High School in the Rochester City School District. Selected high school students work in neuroscience-related labs learning to conduct research and to navigate the education and training necessary to pursue a research career

Nevaeh Grisham, East High School

Mentor: Kuan Hong Wang, PhD

Poster Title: The effects of d-9-THC on locomotor activity of female mice in an open field

Authors: Nevaeh Grisham, Catalina Guzman, Kuan Hong Wang

Aniya Means, East High School

Mentor: Manny Gomez-Ramirez, PhD

Poster Title: Quantifying Expression of the BL-OG Molecule In Mouse Neocortex

Authors: Aniya Means, Chen Li, Emily Murphy, and Manuel Gomez-Ramirez

Abdi Mungani, East High School

Mentor: Ben Suarez-Jimenez, PhD

Poster Title: My ZVR Experience

Authors: Abdi Mungani, Claire E. Marino, Caitlin Sharp, Shreya Bavdekar, Evelyn Pineda, Kendal Jordan, Mary Halvorsen, Jay Taylor, Benjamin Suarez-Jimenez

Arielise Quinones, East High School
Mentor: Julian Meeks, PhD

Poster Title: Exploring alternative cell labeling methods for the major components of the mouse olfactory system

Authors: Arielise Quinones, Kevin Y. Gonzalez-Velandia, Michael Mastrangelo, Julian Meeks

Nyleiah Shaw, East High School

Mentor: Patricia White, PhD

Poster Title: Foxo3 expression in outer hair cells: Does it protect them from noise?

Authors: Nyleiah Shaw and Patricia White

NEUROCITY: Welcome event for NEUROCITY and other summer research scholars

June 13, 2023

On Friday, this year’s class of NEUROCITY scholars and Meliora and Bilski-Mayer summer research students in the Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department at the University of Rochester gathered for a welcome picnic at the Witmer House.

The NEUROCITY scholars from City College New York are part of the summer undergraduate pathway program supported by the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience Diversity Commission.

The Commission chairperson Manuel Gomez-Ramirez, PhD, assistant professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, welcomed the scholars to Rochester during brief remarks and thanked University of Rochester President Sarah Mangelsdorf, PhD, and her husband Karl Rosengren, PhD, professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Psychology at the University, for welcoming the Commission and scholars to the Witmer House. Duje Tadin, PhD, chair of the Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department, also shared his appreciation for their hospitality and support for the Meliora and Bilski-Mayer summer research program.

It is the third summer of the NEUROCITY program.

NEURO2ALL holds first outreach event at RMSC

March 22, 2023

On Wednesday, the Neuroscience Diversity Commission group NEURO2ALL held its first event to teach kids, and adults, about the brain at the Rochester Museum and Science Center (RMSC). The group set up experiments to show how the brain works with our eyes and ears and even how it helps us taste. Kids were also given a backpack with brain facts and experiments to continue to learn about the brain at home. NEURO2ALL aims to foster curiosity around brain science and empower the next generation of neuroscientists. Part of the mission of the group, led by Assistant Research Professor Tufikameni Brima, PhD, is to educate and provide community outreach opportunities to UR and URMC students at all levels. This spring Brima, and Neuroscience graduate students Victoria Popov and Kathryn Toffolo, developed the course IND 442-2 — Science Outreach to All. The Commission and students from this course will host two more NEURO2ALL events at RMSC; Saturday, April 15, 10-12 pm, and Saturday, April 29, 10-12 pm.

Commission: Which area of the brain would you be and why? Neuroscience Diversity Commission participates in Brain Awareness Week

March 20, 2023

During the week of March 13, 2023, the Neuroscience Diversity Commission members answered this question: “If you could only be one area of the brain, which area would you be and why?” Their answers aimed to share relatable functions about different areas of the brain while also showing how diverse they are as a group. Brain Awareness Week is a global celebration of the brain to promote public enthusiasm about the brain and brain science. Check out their answers below!