Every cart needs its horse(s)! These folks coordinate and oversee all the activities under the GLIA umbrella, as well as facilitate communication among the leaders of the different initiatives and between the students and faculty.
Sam White,
Co-Director
Sam is a fifth year in the lab of Dr. Christopher Pierce. Using a rodent model, she’s investigating changes in receptor trafficking in the limbic reward system during relapse to cocaine-seeking behavior. When she’s not getting rats high, she juggles participating in many of the fantastic activities listed on this website and fitting in her daily workout of a run and/or swim.
Jesse Isaacman-Beck,
Co-Director
Jesse is a fifth year graduate student working in Michael Granato’s laboratory to uncover the molecular mechanisms that foster peripheral motor nerve guidance during development and regeneration. He uses zebrafish as a model organism, and when he’s not shooting fish with lasers, you might find him playing ultimate frisbee, biking around greater Philadelphia, or trying his best to grow cucumbers, tomatoes, and jalapeños on his roof deck.
Toni-Moi Prince,
Secretary
Toni is a fifth year in the laboratory of Dr. Ted Abel. Her research focuses on the potential links between sleep and memory, and uses molecular approaches to define any such interactions. When she’s not learning about learning, you can find her working with the Penn Graduate Consulting Group and having fun around Philly.
Maria Fasolino,
Professional Development Chair
Maria is a second year in Dr. Zhaolan (Joe) Zhou’s lab studying how the epigenome changes during aging and how these changes relate to neurodegenerative diseases. When she’s not in lab, she can be found running around town, rolling in the sand at the Jersey Shore, or
practicing safe driving (as evidenced by her picture).
Isaac Perron,
Professional Development Committee Member
Isaac is a 2nd year graduate student working with Dr. Allan Pack. His project focuses on how different high-fat diets affect sleep and circadian rhythms in mice. When not testing the effects of sleep deprivation on himself, he enjoys playing basketball and football and sampling beers from around the world.
M. Morgan Taylor,
NGG Community Building Chair
Morgan is a second year working in Diego Contreras’ lab, studying the role of inhibition in cortical visual processing. In addition to shining lasers into mouse brains, she enjoys running or biking on the Schuylkill river trail, not being a vegan, and arguing with medical students about the biological basis of consciousness.
Wade Mayes,
NGG Community Building Committee Member
Stay tuned for Wade!
Ceren Ozek,
Outreach Chair
Ceren is a third year in Dr. Kendra Bence’s lab. She studies the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in metabolism with a special interest in obesity. When she is not working with skinny and fat mice, she is busy trying out different restaurants, attending cool events in Philly and “lithing”.
David Reiner,
Outreach Committee Member
David is a 1st year student interested in studying animal models of motivated behaviors. When he is not studying rodent behavior, he enjoys playing and watching sports, in particular dropping 3′s in basketball and tearing up the basepaths in baseball.
Erin Coffey,
Public Relations Co-Chair
Erin is a fourth year in the laboratory of Dr. Claire Mitchell. Her research focuses on the role that lysosomal dysfunction may play in neurodegenerative disease progression. When she’s not trying to unearth the mysteries of the cellular garbage disposal system or managing the GLIA website, she is likely to be found cracking truly awful jokes, playing bass clarinet, and going on adventures of both the exploratory and culinary variety.
Ali Rodgers,
Public Relations Co-Chair
Ali, a 3rd year graduate student in Tracy Bale’s lab, studies sex differences in stress regulation and their potential relevance to neuropsychiatric disorders. When she’s not tormenting herself & her mice with chronic variable stress, Ali enjoys crafting, cycling, baking for her lab-mates, and extolling the wonders of the suburbs.
Kate Christison-Lagay,
Public Relations Co-Chair
Kate is a fifth year in Dr. Yale Cohen’s lab. Her research is on the neural code underlying auditory perception. When she’s not thinking about perception, she’s busy reading everything she can gets her hands on, trying new recipes, and finding adventures in and outside of Philadelphia!
Katherine Gribble,
Public Relations Committee Member
Stay tuned for Katherine!
Shachee Doshi,
GLIA Committee Member
Stay tuned for Shachee!
