Randolph-Macon College’s Behavioral Neuroscience program is pleased to announce that three students have had their work accepted for presentation at the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society (IBNS) Conference. The conference will be held June 23-27, 2019 in Cairns, Australia.

Claudia Alvarez  ’19 (behavioral neuroscience and psychology major) and Aftyn Trumbo ’21 (behavioral neuroscience and psychology major; biology minor) will each present their Schapiro Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) projects, which they independently designed and implemented beginning in summer 2018. Alvarez and Trumbo, along with Sabrina Byram ’19 (behavioral neuroscience major; psychology and biology minor) are co-authors on these studies, as well as another ongoing project in the Behavioral Neuroscience laboratory. RMC’s SURF program offers students the opportunity to conduct summer research under the guidance of a faculty mentor.

All three students are mentored by Behavioral Neuroscience Professors Massimo Bardi and Kim Gerecke.

The Research
Alvarez’s research involves understanding how early life stress may detrimentally affect the development of the brains of female mice, and how exercise may rescue these negative effects. Trumbo is researching if exposure to chronic psychological stress, along with a physiological stressor, may synergistically act to create a toxic microenvironment, and if exercise can protect against this damage. And Alvarez, Trumbo and Byram are co-authors on a study investigating the molecular mechanisms by which exercise may promote resiliency and protect against the toxic effects of stress.

Skills + Mentorship
Trumbo says her SURF experience enabled her to learn skills and explore her passion for investigating questions. Despite the inevitable frustrations that come with conducting research—”things don’t always work out as planned,” she notes—she is proud that the research she designed was accepted for presentation.

“Professor Gerecke has had a profound influence on my development as a researcher,” she says. “Her standards of practice have helped me strive for a comprehensive level of understanding in all of my academic pursuits.”

Byram says, “Professor Gerecke has helped me grow into a researcher who enjoys being in the lab. Researching under her guidance prepared me for proposing my own study in Professor Bardi’s Psychobiology course. He and Professor Gerecke are so invested in their students’ research experiences.”

Alvarez is grateful for the opportunity to present at the IBNS conference.

“I’m also excited to learn about the research that people from around the world are conducting,” she says. Gerecke and Bardi’s mentorship inspired her to set her sights on graduate school, and to contribute to the literature of neuroscience. “I work closely with Professor Gerecke and having her as a mentor has been an incredible experience,” says Alvarez.

Dedication and Passion
“I feel incredibly fortunate to work with such a passionate, dedicated group of students,” says Gerecke. “Working with Claudia, Aftyn and Sabrina has been incredibly rewarding, and their work is an excellent example of the types of rigorous, immersive academic experiences RMC offers our students.”