Nadiya N
- Research Program Mentor
PhD candidate at Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Expertise
Neuroscience, Stem Cells, Neurodegeneration, Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, Tissue Engineering, Developmental Neuroscience
Bio
Reading books by Oliver Sacks and VS Ramachandran when I was younger sparked my curiosity for the inner workings of the brain. Studying neuroscience in college and for my PhD in graduate school now, I have a passion for the molecular answers to my questions. In lab, I work primarily with human stem cells to recapitulate important cell types of the brain so we can decipher their functions in a feasibly way. My focus is on cortical development in humans, which occurs during gestation, and how this process can help us engineer brain tissue to help various brain conditions where cells are malfunctioning, missing, or dying. To bring this research to the world, I've mentored middle and high school students, presented in conferences, and taught classes. Communicating this science is one of my passions. Outside of science, I like to spend time both at home and outside. Reading, sewing, and drawing are among my favorite home activities. Since I live in New York City, I love to try new restaurants, go to museums, and simply just walk around. As a Bangladeshi-American who used to live in Bangladesh, I love to visit areas in NYC that has the food of my people. I also, love to take road trips to upstate NY, which I find to be underrated given the beautiful nature landscapes out there. I just love to observe the beauty of the world as much as I can.Project ideas
Write a Literature Review
Are there any specific questions you have about a disease, cell line, animal model, therapeutics, or anything in between? Here, we will write a review-style paper that will summarize, criticize, and evaluate current primary literature on the subject. This will teach you skills like critically evaluating papers, writing about updated scientific knowledge, and communicating your findings with others.
Science Communication Blog/Page
Communicating scientific findings to the general population, in a way that is intriguing and accurate, is a feat that many scientists are working diligently to accomplish. You can contribute to this by starting a blog about any subject of choice (i.e. a neurodegenerative disease, technical advancements in the field, use of human stem cells, etc) and accurately summarizing the key findings of nominal papers in the field. Each blog page/post will be dedicated to a specific paper where you will evaluate and write about their approach, findings, as well as what information needs more clarification. This will teach how to proficiently read primary literature and communicate to a general public audience by writing summaries.