20 high-achieving high school students from low-income families are chosen to further their education in Saturday classes and apply to college summer programs. Now a mentee of their College Success Team after graduating the program in June 2021, I attend workshops and present to younger members during alumni panels.I am also working on integrating a Minds Matter Lite organization at Carnegie Mellon University, to hopefully plant the seeds of a new branch in the greater Pittsburgh area.

STOKED is a nonprofit organization that strives to bring kids together from different communities with action sports, whilst providing educational resources and volunteering opportunities for their local community. As an alumnus, I attend events, workshops, and opportunities to better communities.

I trained two undergraduates during the Spring semester. Immune modulators are key to host defense, increasing the survival percentage of an infected host, but little is known about the identity and functions of these modulators. Comparing the effects of two pathogens on wild-type Drosophila and 𝐴𝑟𝑐1^E8 mutants, the McCartney Lab discovered a connection between healthy and pathogenic bacteria and the neuronal factor Arc1 in Drosophila. Arc proteins are well known for their roles in… Show more I trained two undergraduates during the Spring semester. Immune modulators are key to host defense, increasing the survival percentage of an infected host, but little is known about the identity and functions of these modulators. Comparing the effects of two pathogens on wild-type Drosophila and 𝐴𝑟𝑐1^E8 mutants, the McCartney Lab discovered a connection between healthy and pathogenic bacteria and the neuronal factor Arc1 in Drosophila. Arc proteins are well known for their roles in synaptic plasticity, but these preliminary results were consistent with the hypothesis that Arc1 is an immune modulator.To determine how Arc1 assists in host response to bacterial infection, we are infecting wild-type, 𝐴𝑟𝑐1^E8 null mutants, and a known immunocompromised mutant with the Erwinia carotovora carotovora 15 (Ecc15) pathogen. Using a combination of survival and bacterial load assays, we will begin to understand Arc1's role in host defense. Through these experiments, we hope to develop testable hypotheses to further research Arc1's underlying molecular role in host defense. Show less

Tartan Scholars is an invite-only program specifically designed to close the opportunity gap of high-achieving student leaders with limited resource backgrounds by providing a rich network of academic, social, and financial support. As an ambassador, I support eight first-year students within our program.

The McCartney lab discovered a connection between Drosophila (fly) Arc1, the microbiota, and growth, development and metabolism. Arc proteins are well known for their roles in synaptic plasticity. My project involves identifying Arc1-positive cell types in the larval gut and brain using Arc1 immunofluorescence and genetically engineered Drosophila lines that label specific neuronal and neuroendocrine cell types. The lab has shown that Arc1 expression in the gut and the brain are important for… Show more The McCartney lab discovered a connection between Drosophila (fly) Arc1, the microbiota, and growth, development and metabolism. Arc proteins are well known for their roles in synaptic plasticity. My project involves identifying Arc1-positive cell types in the larval gut and brain using Arc1 immunofluorescence and genetically engineered Drosophila lines that label specific neuronal and neuroendocrine cell types. The lab has shown that Arc1 expression in the gut and the brain are important for its collaboration with the microbiota. The results of my project will enable me to ask which specific cell types in these tissues are necessary for Arc1’s role in the systemic signaling network controlling Drosophila growth, development, and metabolism.I continued to work for-credit during the Spring. My goal was to test Drosophila metabolic feature correspondence to altered growth rates of diets differing in protein and carbohydrate content, to find a diet associated with little experimental variance for future use. I trained two undergraduates in the process. Show less