Project Mentor

Dr. Sebnem Tuncdemir
Department of Neuroscience

Undergraduate Research Opportunity Description

Project Description	Febrile seizures (FS) can occur in up to 5% of children younger than 5 years old, causing lifelong impairments in learning and memory. This project will examine how early-life seizures disrupt hippocampal circuits during the critical period of memory formation using mouse models to label hippocampal neurons according to their birth-dates and integration into the memory ensembles. The student will perform intraperitoneal injections in pregnant dams to label neurons based on their birthdate, followed by histological characterization of their morphology and circuit integration after FS during the critical period of memory formation.
Project Direction	Neural circuit mechanisms involved in FS-induced memory disorders and how such disorders can be reversed remain elusive. Our central hypothesis is that the divergent recruitment of developmentally defined subpopulations into memory ensembles predicts their susceptibility to early-life seizures and that selective targeting of neurons will have therapeutic value. In the future we will record and manipulate hippocampal neurons according to their birth-dates and integration into the memory ensembles to study cell type specific mechanisms by which early-life seizures disrupt hippocampal circuit maturation.
Mentorship and Supervision	1) The student will receive hands on training on animal protocols and specific operating procedures directly from the PI or an experienced lab member while performing the experiments for the first 4 weeks and is expected to work independently with appropriate guidance for the remaining time. 2) The student is expected to join lab meetings and journal clubs to enhance their understanding on the larger research question and learn new advances in the field of systems neuroscience. 3) The student will meet with the PI minimum of 4 times to go over their progress in learning and receive one-on-one training in general scientific methods such as record keeping, hypothesis testing, data collection and curation. These meetings will also include general career development discussions in accordance with the student’s career and educational goals. 4) Student is expected to keep a detailed online ‘dairy’ of their time in the lab shared with the PI as well as a personal lab notebook for experimental details, in addition to updating lab database for mice, server for data collection, all of which will be monitored by the PI weekly and discussed during one-on-one meetings. 5) Feedback will be provided in person or through lab’s internal messaging app via a natural discussions after observation of student’s performance.
Student Qualifications	Strong communication and organizational skills and the ability to learn new techniques are important characteristics for the position. Comfort working with laboratory animals (mice) in a research setting as well as the ability to synthesize new information, and maintain knowledge on animal and safety protocols/procedures are the preferred qualifications for this position.
Summer Schedule Options	Monday-Friday 9am through 5pm
Project Continuation	Fall 2024, Spring 2025
Academic Year Time Commitment	6-9 hours/week
Possible Thesis Project	Yes

Application

Submit an online application for this research opportunity at https://quest.uconn.edu/prog/HRP24-34. The application deadline is Monday, January 29, 2024.

This application requires a Cover Letter, Resume or CV, GPA, Science GPA, Statement of Qualifications, Statement of Research Interests, and Statement of Career Interests.