Thesis Thursday

Hi! My name is Kamila Murawska-Wlodarczyk, and I am a PhD student in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Arizona. I investigate the interactions between plants and soil microorganisms to better understand their input in the successful remediation and restoration of anthropogenically disturbed habitats. My current research project focuses on phytoremediation of mine sites. In my spare time, I play tabletop role-playing games, sew dresses, paint watercolors and dance Lindy Hop.

Cassandra Watters graduated in December 2020 from the University of Arizona with dual degrees in Psychological Sciences and East Asian Studies. She is a Tucson native, and 4th generation University of Arizona graduate. Cassandra conducted research in the psychology department, both in the Child Cognition Lab with Dr. Rebecca Gomez and the Lab for Social Connectedness and Health with Dr. David Sbarra. Cassandra’s primary research experiences focused on child and adolescent development. She is in the process of applying to PhD programs for Clinical Psychology and wishes to investigate adolescent psychopathology and mental health. Cassandra is also passionate about Japanese language and culture. She conducted a four-month long study abroad during her undergraduate career, and she would like to move to Japan to pursue her graduate studies. In her free time, she plays video games, reads fantasy novels, and makes YouTube videos.

My name is Paris Stegall and I’m a native Tucsonan and master’s student in the Soil, Water and Environmental Science program. My environmental interests center around microbiology and water resource management, both of which I would like to look at through a global change lens.

“My name is Filip Hanak and I am a senior at the University of Arizona double-majoring in Neuroscience & Cognitive Science and Molecular & Cellular Biology, and minoring in Biochemistry. I started college thinking I would become a physician, but along the way I fell in love with research, and now I am applying to PhD programs in neuroscience. I’m a student in Dr. John Streicher’s lab, where we study the pharmacology of pain, and try to develop better therapies for treating pain. I’m working on a project focused on investigating the effects of intermittent fasting on opioid therapy. Our previous work has demonstrated that mice who undergo intermittent fasting tend to respond better to opioids – the drug is more effective and has less side effects. I’m exploring how exactly that happens on the molecular level. Outside of the lab, I like to spend as much time as possible with my friends – usually hiking, lounging at the pool, watching movies together and just hanging out. I also love being involved in leadership, teaching, and community service.”

 

I attached two pictures – I haven’t had the chance to go to the lab in the past week since I’m only allowed to go there for essential activities, so unfortunately I don’t have a photo of me in the lab. I hope the other two will do!

 

Best,

Filip

Lane (me) is a grad student at the UofA researching cheap and portable methods for detecting chemicals, bacteria, and viruses. I am in the department of Biomedical Engineering, focusing on Biosensors. I 100% recommend this field to anyone who is (1) interested in STEM, programming, writing, arts, etc., and (2) wants to learn how to translate science and tech to real-world applications. There is so much amazing research out here that is waiting to be used in our everyday lives. Join us!!

Kira Zeider is a first-year graduate student pursuing her doctorate in chemical engineering. A Tucson-native, she graduated from the University of Arizona in May 2020 with two bachelor’s degrees in chemical and environmental engineering. She is currently working under Dr. Armin Sorooshian on several projects, including her group’s major NASA mission, Aerosol Cloud Meteorology Interactions Over the Western Atlantic Experiment (ACTIVATE). For ACTIVATE, Kira is using k-means clustering – a machine learning technique – with aerosol size distribution data to try and predict any patterns within the working dataset. Kira is also working with the Center for Environmentally Sustainable Mining on two dust emissions projects: one determining the reliability of foliar dust as an air monitor and the other differentiating dust emissions from mining and rock product industrial sources from regional haze.

“Hey there! My name is Sylvia Zarnescu and I am a junior at the University of Arizona double majoring in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science and Economics, with a minor in Information Science. I work with Dr. Robert Wilson in the Neuroscience of Reinforcement Learning and Decision-Making Lab studying how people make decisions—more specifically, I’m researching how people solve the explore-exploit dilemma in a social context. After I graduate, I plan to pursue a graduate degree (hopefully) in the UK to study behavioral economics. In my free time I enjoy finding new coffee shops around Tucson (I am currently on the lookout for a great matcha latte), hiking in the Catalina Foothills, and doing yoga.”

About Dr. Khanna: Rajesh Khanna, PhD, has a 20-year career in Neuroscience and Pharmacology. He was a doctoral student in the Department of Physiology at the University of Toronto, in Toronto, Canada. He was a Research Fellow in the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles, in Los Angeles, UCLA; Assistant Staff Scientist, Toronto Western Research Institute, Toronto; and Assistant Professor, Indiana University School of Medicine. He is currently a tenured Professor of Pharmacology, Anesthesiology, and Neuroscience within the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine. His research intersects pain and neurodegenerative diseases and is focused on understanding mechanisms and developing strategies to allosterically regulate functions of key ion channels implicated in physiology and pathophysiology of pain and neurodegenerative diseases. Dr. Khanna is also the Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Regulonix, LLC, an Arizona startup focusing on novel chronic pain therapeutics and innovative biomarker technology development. Dr. Khanna’s research is funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, The Department of Defense, and the Children’s Tumor Foundation

My name is Grace Hathaway and I am a senior Physics and Astronomy double major at UArizona with a minor…

My name is Angela Velázquez, a Junior double majoring in Molecular & Cellular Biology and Neuroscience and Cognitive Science with…