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Armani D

- Research Program Mentor

PhD candidate at University of Minnesota

Expertise

Brain glial cells, insects and animals, behavior, neuropsychiatric disorders

Bio

I started my journey in the financial field but had no spark for it, and then I read a book about glia cells in the brain. These non-neuronal cells opened my eyes to the mysteries that still exist in understanding ourselves and the world around us. My graduate research involves how glial cells impact blood flow in the brain, which is relevant to stroke and neurodegenerative diseases, and how they impact neuron signaling. My undergraduate studies centered around the mechanisms involved in drug addiction. In my free time, I enjoy exploring the Minnesota landscape with my border collie, Jett! His demands usually surpass mine so we get outside a lot. Otherwise, I enjoy playing board games with other graduates, and spending time with friends. It's exciting to mentor more and share my passions for science and the natural world. Anyone can have a neat idea, and find inspiration for a brighter future, and channeling that passion towards science can make a real difference.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Ethology: The cataloguing of a day in the life of an animal

This project hopes to hone your observational skills, one of the first steps to some of science's greatest insights. Bird migration, the imprinting of young animals on the thing they're first exposed to, bee communication. All of these first started from first observing animals in their natural habitat. Where you live and the environments you're surrounded by will impact what sort of animals you may be able to use. You'll be choosing some animal in nature that you'll have easy access to observing. I've found watching birds or squirrels the easiest. But choose something that interests you! Once you have an idea of the animal you'd like to observe, take time to monitor how they behave and catalogue that in a journal. This journal should include a name you give an observed behavior and a description of what the animal is doing. This may include things the animal does on its own and what it does when it interacts with others. Take care to note other traits of the animals: like color and size, where it spends its time during the day, if there are differences between behavior of the male and females, etc. The process of studying animal behavior like this is the foundation of ethology! After a few weeks of observations, these observations along with further research will open the door to pose a research question regarding that animal's behavior. Possibly how external factors may affect its behaviors. This can all then be turned into a research report or a published video with recorded footage of the behaviors and a voiceover describing these curious findings.

What is an astrocyte?

A personal love and passion of mine, the astrocyte is a non neuronal cell in the brain that performs numerous functions critical to brain health and function. This research project will have you dive into the deep end of astrocyte physiology and their role in the brain. There is so much unknown about how they influence neuropsychiatric disorders and how targeting them with drugs may introduce better solutions. This will be a research review paper or other communication medium on astrocytes and a brain disorder of your choice, concluding with the proposal of possible hypotheses regarding their involvement and how they may be targeted to help others.

Coding skills

MatLab

Teaching experience

For two years, I was a teaching assistant for the University of Minnesota's grad class for Cell and Molecular Neuroscience. This included weekly discussions providing summaries of lectures and working through questions and problems related to the class. I worked hands on with individual students as well, in order to help them understand the material.

Credentials

Work experience

University of Minnesota (2017 - Current)
PhD Candidate
Arizona State University (2017 - 2015)
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Arizona State University (2016 - 2014)
LightWorks Sustainability Student Assistant

Education

Arizona State University
BS Bachelor of Science (2017)
Biology/Neuroscience
University of Minnesota
PhD Doctor of Philosophy candidate
Neuroscience

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