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Episode 9 Guests:
Dr. Natalie McGuier is an Assistant Teaching Professor in Biological Sciences at CMU. She has been a laboratory instructor since 2016 teaching a variety of labs and topics including experimental genetics, molecular techniques for bioprocessing, brewing science, and undergraduate research experience courses. Through these courses she has worked with first-years, non-majors, and upperclassmen biology majors. Natalie has also worked with high school students through the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Sciences teaching neuroscience electives and leading group research projects.
Alice Russell is in her last year at Carnegie Mellon, and studies neuroscience and architecture. She is interested in the way buildings affect our emotions, our thoughts, and our behaviors. Have you ever walked into a building and gotten really excited? Or felt really peaceful? Alice likes to study why that happens. She is currently working on an experiment which brings nature designs into cities to help people feel less stressed. Outside of school, Alice likes doing art, playing guitar and violin, and going to the park with her friends!
Sophia Shan is a junior studying in Computational Neuroscience with a minor in Machine Learning. She is very interested in the field of Neurotechnology, especially Brain-Computer Interfaces and Muscle-Computer Interface. Sophia thinks communicating directly with the CNS and PNS without behavior output is going to be beneficial not only for people with disabilities, but also the general public in the field of game industry, work efficiency, and personal wellness. She is currently working in Dr. Smith's lab as an undergraduate researcher, doing a project that studies the correlation of Cerebral Perfusion Pressure and Neural Adaptation in Non-Human Primates. She is also doing a project in Dr. Weber's lab, working on analyzing the force level applied by hand based on signal from forearm muscle. This summer she is going to work on a project at UPitt involving invasive Brain-Computer Interface. In her extracurricular time, she enjoys boxing, badminton, and volleyball. Sophia loves singing and teaching herself how to play base (though it's progressing very slowly).
Anmol Surpur is fascinated with cancer immunotherapy and teaching! She is a senior Biology major at Carnegie Mellon University and after she graduates, she will be a research assistant in New York City studying cancer and how we can use our immune system to tackle this disease. Anmol is hoping to pursue a career in medicine, taking care of patients. On-campus, she is an SI Mentor with the Student Academic Success Center where she helps tutor students and works with the professor on the course, Modern Biology. She also volunteers at West Penn Hospital taking care of the elderly population at risk for developing dementia. In her free time, she loves to go swimming, hike through trails in Schenley Park, play with her dog Benji, take care of her succulents, and try new restaurants!
Stay tuned for more episodes!