EngelNovitt has maintaineda longstanding commitment to activelysupporting the College of Science, its pioneering research and novel degreeprograms that benefit Virginia Tech, its students, and the research community more broadly, said John Engel, manager of EngelNovitt. As soon as the School of Neuroscience and its neuroscience degree programs were announced, we wanted to broaden that support to include theEngelNovitt Undergraduate Research Fellowship to enable undergraduates to benefit even more directly in theadvancement of the schoolsmission by actively participatingin its cutting-edgeresearch in the lab.

Particpating students included:

Noah Feld, of Woodbridge, Virginia,and a senior in neuroscience who worked in Sontheimers lab withSusan Campbell, a research assistant professor at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, said he enjoyed the experience of hands-on research. Having the privilege to be constantly immersed in an environment where I was challenged, but also able to learn, gave me a feeling of excitement, as though a new discovery was just around the corner, Feld said.

Amanda Patterson, of Mount Airy, Maryland, and a senior in neuroscience, worked in the laboratory ofGeorgia Hodes, an assistant professor of neuroscience. There, Patterson carried out experiments to understand sex differences involved in stress susceptibility and resilience. The focus of this lab was to determine connections between the immune system and the peripheral nervous system.This fellowship gave me first-hand experience with techniques I didnt even know existed until I was admitted in this program, she said.

Madison ODonnell, of Forest, Virginia,and a senior in neuroscience, worked in the laboratory ofElizabeth Gilbert, an assistant professor in the Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, part of theCollege of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and an affiliated faculty member of neuroscience. ODonnell contributed to eight experiments on neural control of food intake in chickens and quail, with four experiments being of her own design.

Receiving the fellowship this summer was the greatest success of my undergraduate career and the best experience Virginia Tech has given me, she said. Being able to spend 40-plus hours in the lab every week gave me the opportunity to be taught many lab techniques by my mentors and gain experiences that I would not have gotten anywhere else.

ODonnell expects her summer work to result in two publications, and she plans on pursuing a doctoral degree in cellular and molecular neuroscience at the University of Southern California after she graduates in 2018.

Sontheimer said, We hope to be able to continue this successful program in future summers, providing generations of students a chance to sample the excitement that comes with discovery, which defines the future career path of many of our students.

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Neuroscience marks end of inaugural summer research experience for 18 undergrads - Augusta Free Press