ASU students to present neuroscience, AI and aging research at largest multicultural STEM conference in the US
Members of the Study of Circuits in Adolescent Life lab, led by Jessica Verpeut (far right), assistant professor of psychology at ASU, pose for a photo. Kendall Christiansen (third from right), Henrique Vieira (back row, center) and Vincent Truong (right of Vieira) are presenting their neuroscience research projects at the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science conference. Photo courtesy of Jessica Verpeut
When one of the largest multidisciplinary and multicultural STEM diversity conferences in the U.S. opens in Phoenix on Oct. 31, it will offer thousands of attendees from across the country opportunities to share research findings and learn about careers in STEM fields.
Three undergraduate students from Arizona State University — two from the Department of Psychology and one from the School of Life Sciences — will be among them, presenting results from research that spans from cellular neuroscience to making artificial intelligence accessible.
The mission of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics & Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) conference is to mentor, empower and energize students with necessary skills in their STEM career path, explained Marisol Perez, associate vice provost and professor of psychology at ASU.
"Having undergraduates presenting their research at this conference will provide great training to these students while simultaneously showcasing to others the cutting-edge research students do in the Department of Psychology and School of Life Sciences at ASU,” she said.
Kendall Christiansen, Henrique Vieira and Vincent Truong will present findings from their research, which looks into how female brains age differently than male brains; contributions of the cerebellum to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism; and an AI data analysis program designed for high school students, respectively. Christiansen, Vieira and Truong are all part of the Study of Circuits in Adolescent Life (SOCIAL) Neurobiology lab, led by Jessica Verpeut, assistant professor of psychology.
“It is important for students to have the experience of presenting their work on a national platform, to talk with large groups of people from within their field and from other fields. Communicating their science to other people will give them an in-depth understanding of what they’ve done and of how their work fits into the bigger picture of existing research,” Verpeut said. “There are not a lot of opportunities like this for undergraduate students, and having the SACNAS conference here in Phoenix this year will be an amazing experience for Kendall, Henrique and Vincent.”
Christiansen, Viera and Truong all received ASU’s Embark Fellowship to attend the SACNAS conference. The fellowship paid their registration and provided mentorship on designing a poster to showcase their research.
Kendall Christiansen: Sex differences in how neurons age
Neurons take on many shapes and sizes, but all consist of a cell body called a soma with spindly limbs that branch out. There are two types of neuronal limbs, axons and dendrites. Axons send information to other neurons. Dendrites, which can look like gnarled tree branches, receive it.
Christiansen’s research project focuses on changes in neuron structure and connections between neurons that happen with age and how they differ between females and males. Connections between neurons are called synapses, and one marker of a synapse is called a dendritic spine — which is essentially a knob protruding off a dendrite.
“I am interested in how the brain develops and know that we do not have a lot of information on sex differences in aging. This knowledge is important to understand aging in general and for diseases associated with aging, like Alzheimer’s,” said Christiansen, who is majoring in biological sciences and plans to become a physician’s assistant after graduating from ASU next year.
Henrique Vieira: How the cerebellum contributes to brain-wide networks
Most of the brain’s neurons are located in the cerebellum, which resembles the inside of a head of cauliflower. The cerebellum is a region that has been understudied for decades because it was thought to only be involved in planning and correcting movements. But research from Verpeut’s lab and others has shown that the cerebellum also plays an important role in how we think and act.
At the SACNAS meeting, Vieira will present his research project on the cerebellum’s influence on repetitive behaviors, which are a hallmark symptom of autism. He is looking at how cerebellar neurons participate in networks consisting of brain regions involved in reward processing, including the ventral tegmental area, where the neurotransmitter dopamine is made, and locus coeruleus, where the neurotransmitter norepinephrine is made.
“Neuroscience, especially the idea that neurons can affect how we feel, act and perceive the world, has fascinated me since an International Baccalaureate project I did in high school, and I knew I wanted to research the brain in college,” said Vieira, who came to ASU from Brazil and found Verpeut’s lab through the ENERGIZE Research Initiative.
Vieira also participates in ASU’s WINURE program and plans to pursue his doctorate in neuroscience after he graduates this spring as a double major in neuroscience and psychology.
Vincent Truong: Making AI-based data analysis easy
Truong spent a summer developing a software package designed to make AI accessible to high school students. The software uses Google Colab and is available for free, requiring only an internet browser to use. The lab has been partnering with school districts to offer workshops to train educators how to use the program in their classrooms.
“The program tracks metrics that we cannot see by eye and walks students through how to conduct their own experiments and analyze data. My hope is that by using this program, students will be less intimidated about science and data analysis,” said Truong, who plans to pursue medicine and public health research after graduating from ASU this spring.
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