In May 2023, I graduated from UNH with a bachelor of science in biomedical science, and a double minor in classics and zoology. While I gained many skills through my coursework, my most significant experience as an undergraduate was working as a research assistant in a UNH neuroscience lab. There, I found my passion for studying the brain, and gained a wide skillset that I plan to carry forward into my career.
For three years, I was an undergraduate research assistant in Dr. Charntikov’s behavioral neuroscience lab at UNH. Under Dr. Charntikov’s mentorship, I was awarded four grants through the Hamel Center for Undergraduate Research and had the opportunity to present at six conferences on behalf of the lab.
My Research
My research focused on the behavioral neuroscience of drug addiction. Our lab worked with rodent models to understand the behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms underlying drug abuse in the hopes of providing preclinical data that would be used to further treatment research. I was a part of two projects in the lab, one studying nicotine and one studying alcohol. The nicotine project focused on a specific pathway in the rodent brain, and its role in the expression of learning with a nicotine stimulus. So far, there have been four replications of this project, and a fifth is underway. I had the opportunity to act as project leader on the third iteration of the project, and I received a SURF (Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship) grant for this research. The second project I have worked on involved studying the behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms of relapse into alcohol addiction. We specifically wanted to understand the brain regions involved in relapse, related to the severity of dependency on alcohol and the behavior associated with it. For this project, I acted as project leader for all three replications and received two URAs (Undergraduate Research Award) and one SURF grant to fund the research. Both studies will be completed soon, and the findings will be published in an academic journal. I have already published preliminary findings in an Inquiry article, which was published in spring 2023.
The National Conference on Undergraduate Research
Last year, I had the opportunity to present my findings in the nicotine study at the National Undergraduate Research Conference. Due to COVID-19 in 2022, the conference was virtual. I completed my presentation as an online Powerpoint from my off-campus apartment. I was disappointed I could not go to the conference in person, as I felt like I would have made more connections and I would have had a more meaningful experience meeting fellow undergraduate researchers.
Luckily, in 2023, I submitted my abstract detailing my findings in the alcohol project, and it was accepted again! I received a Research Presentation Grant from the Hamel Center to fly to the University of Wisconsin and complete a poster presentation on the alcohol project. The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is considered the most beautiful campus in Wisconsin, and it absolutely was. The campus straddled a river, and there was plenty of outdoor seating to enjoy the views of the campus and surrounding area. I spent the morning before my presentation just enjoying the campus and meeting other undergraduate researchers. My presentation occurred in the afternoon on April 13th. I completed an hour-long poster presentation, speaking to other undergraduate researchers, professors, and university representatives. I felt very confident presenting; while I was nervous, I knew that I was comfortable with my research and that I would be able to explain it well. Doing a national conference presentation was a big deal for me, and I had a great experience at the NCUR.
The UNH Undergraduate Research Conference
After the NCUR, I had the opportunity to present at three of the UNH Undergraduate Research Conferences. With my research partners, I presented at the COLSA URC, the Integrated Science and Engineering Symposium, and the All Colleges Undergraduate Research Symposium. We did poster presentations, using a slightly different poster than at NCUR. It was a great feeling to stand next to my fellow undergraduate researchers and present the findings from this project. The alcohol project was long and time-consuming, and to be able to present results was amazing. Each time I presented, I got better and better at presenting my research. I got more confident with each presentation, and at our last presentation, we won an Award for Excellence for our All Colleges presentation. After doing four conferences in two weeks, it was a great way to end April.
Taking on a leadership role in the lab was the highlight of my college experience, and I loved every minute I spent on my research. I don’t think I could have grown into the researcher I am today if I had not connected with Dr. Charntikov three years ago and I am very grateful for all the opportunities that were available to me during my time in the lab. Currently, I am looking to start my career in science, with the hopes of doing graduate school in the future. I am hoping to continue pursuing neuroscience, drawing on the skills and experience I’ve gained in my undergraduate.
