Angela Zhang
Major: Neuroscience and Behavior
Research Location: The University of Notre Dame
Angela studied the gut-brain axis, which is a newly emerging concept that essentially involves a bidirectional communication network between the gut microbiota and the nervous and neuroendocrine systems. She was particularly focused on the gut-brain axis' role in immune function and regulation.
Angela says, "I was really challenged to take initiative in my own experiments and
to actually practice problem solving rather than just following someone else's directions. After learning some basic experiments and protocols, it was mostly left up to me--with guidance from Dr. Lee and the graduate students--to decide where to take my project and how to troubleshoot when issues arose. I think this made my research experience much more reflective of what it means to be a real scientist and to chase after an unknown."