Researchers of Emory

  Eli Patt is a senior majoring in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology. He was awarded a Fall 2017 Independent Grant which he used to conduct research on child development and memory under Dr. Daniel Dilks. Every Friday at 3PM the Dilks Lab gathers for its weekly meetings. As it nears time to meet, people begin leaving their desks and computers, grabbing tea and snacks on their way to the main conference room. From the coffee machine, one of the graduate students shouts a joke to another, and everyone laughs. The atmosphere is cheerful and everyone is excited to sit around the oval conference table in the main room of the lab.  The meeting begins, and we discuss any business matters first. Usually this is short. Then to the heart of the meeting, most often some form of presentation, talk, poster, etc. 

Daniel Kikuchi is a senior majoring in Biology. He was awarded a Spring 2016 Independent Grant which he used to conduct research on atherosclerosis under Dr. Kathy Griendling.   During my freshmen year at Emory, I took an introductory biology course. I enjoyed the laboratory portion of the class and wanted to learn how authentic research was conducted. Towards the end of the summer after my freshmen year I began to look for a lab. I emailed approximately 20 professors in search of a position. I was told by friends that it was important to email many professors because some do not respond and some do not take undergraduates. Therefore, I was surprised to receive eight interviews and just as many offers. I ended up choosing to work in the laboratory of Dr. Kathy Griendling in the Cardiology Division of the School of Medicine. I choose the Griendling lab not only because I found her work interesting but also because I thought it was where I would be able to learn the most.

Chris Batterman  is a junior double majoring in Music and Psychology. He was awarded a Fall 2017 Conference Grant which he used to attend (des)articulaciones 2017. Last month, I had the opportunity to attend and present at the University of Pittsburgh’s conference, (des)articulaciones: (De)conceptualizations: Beyond Identity, Coloniality and the Subaltern. Sponsored by the university’s Department of Hispanic Languages and Literatures, (des)articulaciones is an international graduate student conference that allows students to present their research and get feedback from colleagues and professors in the field. This year, the conference theme revolved around the idea of the subaltern, communities or identities that have been marginalized or hierarchically positioned at lower statuses. Oftentimes, this subalternity is a result of power structures introduced by colonialism or imperialist policy (i.e., America’s involvement pretty much anywhere). This year’s theme was especially time

Margaret Martinez is a senior majoring in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology. She was awarded a Spring 2016 Independent Grant which she used to conduct research on synesthesia under Dr. Simon Lacey. I had just begun to enter the world of research when I first arrived to Emory University. In high school, I worked under an M.D./Ph.D. at a psychiatric institute processing MRI images, and quite frankly, I often felt like I had no idea what I was doing. Despite my constant feelings of confusion and being out of my depth, there was something about research that pulled me in, so as a freshman, I participated in the Research Partners Program. I began my work on synesthesia in Sathian lab having no idea what synesthesia even was. Now, after a year of practice of learning, I can automatically explain that synesthesia is a crossing of the senses. It’s when a person has an automatic sensory response to an unrelated stimulus with the most common type of synesthesia being grapheme-color. My res