Projects!

This is going to be a boring update, but I just want to jot down a few things for my own satisfaction.

I've submitted my choices for the research project I wish to work on during Lent Term. I didn't end up arranging my own project because the projects they offered on the list were quite good, and I am just so damn busy. Here are the projects I have chosen, in order of preference:

1. Matthias Landgraf - Title: Cellular interactions and synapse development in a locomotor network
2. Peter McNaughton - Title unknown (probably a topic on TRPA1 channels and/or pain)
3. Amy L. Milton, Barry J. Everitt -  Title: What is the role of dopamine in CS-fear memory reconsolidation?
3. Zara Bergstrom - Title: EEG correlates of strategic processes in episodic memory retrieval

Landgraf's project is a strong first choice for me, since I really want to work in a wet lab that isn't just cell cultures. He does experiments on Drosophila—yes, I know fruit flies are not the most exciting or cuddly animal model—but it's with optogenetics! For those of you who don't know what that means, it basically means: shine a light on the animal, activate specific nerve cells, and watch the animal freeze/walk in circles/walk normally/spasm/etc. So damn cool. Optogenetics is a relatively new technique, so loads of new experiments are just waiting to be thought of! Dr. Landgraf seems like a pretty cool guy and his lab cohorts are great too.

Plus, his lab is across the street from Pembroke College. That means if I need to do any late-night or early-morning work, I don't need to make a 10-minute commute. I can just roll out of bed.