I write press releases and web stories about the scientific discoveries and health breakthroughs at UCSF, working with researchers and journalists to tell the stories of the frontiers of medical science.

Writing press releases and web stories about the scientific discoveries and health breakthroughs at UCSF. Working with researchers and journalists to tell the stories of the frontiers of medical science today.

I write about developments in neuroscience, science policy, and the practice of research. I have written for the American Geophysical Union, the American Society for Cell Biology, the National Academy of Science, Stanford Magazine, and mongabay.com.

Independently reported regional news stories on topics ranging from the California drought to health care for transgender teens. Designed infographics and photo spreads to accompany stories.

During my internship I covered the latest weekly developments in science for Science Magazine's news section.

As a reporting intern at the Santa Cruz Sentinel. I covered local science-related topics ranging from groundwater mapping and dry-farming to butterfly conservation and the science of the kitchen.

• Conceived and organized grad-student group to promote public communication of science. • Built membership of more than 100 scientists and writers, recruit regular guest speakers from local science writing community, coordinate and chair biweekly writing workshops. • Manage leadership team, guide development of regular science podcasts & web presence.• Won competitive grant funding for group activities through written application and in-person interviews with Stanford Vice-Provost of Graduate Education.

I am developing written and multimedia content for Worldview Stanford's online Neuroscience of Decision-Making course and acting as a moderator for online content and discussion among our students.

Research, writing, and technical development around quantification of synaptic differences produced by sensory learning in mouse neocortex.

I worked with the Marian Koshland Science Museum to develop a new interactive exhibit around the theme of individual and community resilience in the face of disasters.I collaborated with a colleague to select content, design the exhibit, and implement our design as an interactive intranet site using HTML and CSS. I also edited a video reel highlighting case studies in resilience for display alongside the interactive exhibit and supported museum staff and leadership in the development and implementation of evening informal education events around the theme of resilience.

A hundred billion neurons and the hundred trillion synaptic connections between them make the brain an organ of perplexing complexity for scientists interested in linking form to function – connecting circuitry to sentience. Worse yet, these connections are highly plastic – constantly shifting and changing as the brain attempts to fit its behaviors and perceptions to the statistics of a complex environment. The human response to a bewildering cosmos has always been to find simplifying patterns. I use array tomography, a new form of proteomic imaging developed by the Smith lab, to pursue the design principles of the circuits of the mammalian neocortex through two simplifications – first, that the columnar circuit motif seen across neocortex represents a common algorithm for processing information from different sensory modalities and levels of complexity, and second, that the vast molecular diversity of synapses contains classifiable patterns reflecting distinct roles of different circuit elements (sets of cells and synapses) in sensory processing plasticity. I have developed an experimental approach to quantify molecularly diverse synapse populations in functionally defined columnar microcircuits of mouse somatosensory cortex. In vivo functional imaging guides surgical extraction of the cortical columns responsive to two neighboring facial whiskers. Array tomographic analysis of this tissue produces high-dimensional proteomic data about expression patterns of synaptic proteins at the millions of individual synapses comprising two columns. I can thus compare the distributions of molecularly defined synapse populations between homologous cortical columns across a number of animals to explore conserved circuit patterns and also identify synapse populations which are modified in response to partial sensory deprivation. Using this technique I hope to elucidate important generic circuit principles underlying neocortical sensory processing and plasticity.

I used a combination of intracellular recordings and laser glutamate-uncaging to map neuronal connectivity in slices of mouse motor cortex, demonstrating a fundamentally different circuit organization than had been reported for sensory cortices.

I collaborated to design behavioral and fMRI experiments examining the neural systems involved in cognitive/affective coping mechanisms for powerfully emotional memories. I coordinated research subjects and oversaw functional imaging experiments.