Month: May 2021

Lenz Lab trainees present at OSSD and PNIRS conferences

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Graduate students Courtney Dye and Michaela Breach presented their work at the Organization for the Study of Sex Differences Conference and the Psychoneuroimmunology Research Society Conference.

Courtney presented: Microglia depletion promotes the sensitization of maternal behavior in adult female virgin rats (C. Dye, D. Franceschelli, B. Leuner, K. Lenz)

Michaela presented: Prenatal allergic inflammation in rats programs the developmental trajectory of dendritic spine patterning in brain regions associated with cognitive and social behavior (M. R Breach, C. N Dye, A. Galan, B. J. Schatz, and K. M. Lenz)

Michaela Breach is awarded a National Science Foundation GRFP Fellowship Award!

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Michaela Breach, a second year graduate student in the Lenz Lab, was just awarded a prestigious GRFP Fellowship Award from the National Science Foundation! This award will support the next 3 years of Michaela’s research in the lab, where she will be focused on the role of microglia in the developmental sculpting of oxytocin and vasopressin projections to brain regions responsible for sex differences in social behavior. CONGRATS, MICHAELA!

Undergraduates receive summer research fellowships!

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So much good news to share for summer 2021! Three Lenz lab undergraduate research assistants were awarded fellowships to work full time on their research.

Dominic Franceschelli received an Office of Undergraduate Research URAP award and will be working with Courtney Dye on Neuroimmune contributions to an animal model of postpartum depression.

Habib Akouri also received an Office of Undergraduate Research URAPwill be working with Micahaela Breach on understanding the role of prenatal allergen exposure on shaping the development of the oxytocin system in rats and related social behavior.

Brooke Schatz, received the CBI SURF award to fund their summer research on a model of pediatric TBI, and will be working with Michaela Breach to study mast cell-microglia-synaptic interactions and behavioral outcomes after early life injury.

Congrats to all these hard working undergraduates!