Student Research Assistant
San Antonio, Texas, United States
This was a position I had through a program with my High School during my senior year. Had multiple responsibilities involving the mice subject. The study I worked on focused on determining if an increased level of tryptophan in the mice diet would affect autism-like symptoms. During the feeding period, I was responsible for caring for the mice. This responsibility meant ensuring the mice had enough food and water when I came. A dedicated staff member changed the changing of bedding in the cages. I was also responsible for weighing the mice to monitor their health, which involved being able to keep track of each mouse in the cages. The weighing was to see how the diets would affect the mice's muscle weight, as tryptophan can be found in the muscle. my final responsibility was conducting behavioral experiments on the subject. They included the water T-test, Tube-test for social dominance, and the marble burying test. Lastly, I gave a virtual poster presentation on my findings at the end of the school year in May 2020.