Students Share Findings and New Skills Gained During Hands-on Summer Research Experience

The future of neuroscience discovery begins with opportunities for curious students to take a place at the lab bench and immerse themselves in the real work of basic research.

For six weeks, seven Florida Atlantic University undergraduates trained as research assistants under the mentorship of renowned neuroscientists in labs throughout the John D. MacArthur Campus at Jupiter. The opportunity is granted through the John Nambu Memorial Student Research Assistant Program, which allowed them to perform cutting-edge life sciences research while also expanding their scientific expertise through networking with fellow undergrads and faculty mentors and developing their writing and presentation skills.

The program culminated with a luncheon and oral research presentations. Each student condensed their projects into a one-slide, five-minute talk where they explained the purpose, hypothesis, scientific techniques and implications of their work. Several students used the common fruit fly as a model for understanding neuronal connections and behavior, while another used zebrafish to model the developmental effects of early-life stress. Each presentation showcased practice in high-level laboratory skills such as confocal imaging, histology, western blotting, statistical analysis and computational neuroscience.

“The best way to spark a passion for scientific discovery is by putting students in the middle of the action,” said Tim Holford, Ph.D., assistant director, Academic Programs and Strategic Initiatives at FAU Jupiter. “The John Nambu Memorial Student Research Assistant Program offers a unique chance to not only learn the techniques needed to perform innovative research but also how to collaborate with other researchers and present their findings in a professional setting. We are so grateful to the Nambu family to continue to support this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our students.”

The program was established in the memory of the late John Nambu, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Biological Sciences in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. This year, Nambu’s wife, Barbara A. Nambu, Ph.D., and their son attended the research presentations and met with the year’s student cohort to learn about their projects and the impact the experience had on their education and future pursuit of scientific inquiry.

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