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Young Researchers in STEM

Summer 2025 Young Researcher Lab

Professor Michelle Tong

Title: Effects of Diazepam Withdrawal on Conditioned Place Preference Memory and Perineuronal Nets in Adolescents

Project Description: Diazepam is a drug with an overall calming effect on mammalian nervous systems. In adult mice, diazepam exposure is rewarding and withdrawal from the drug potentiates anxiety-life behaviours. In this project, we investigate the effects of diazepam in adolescent mice, specifically looking at sex differences in withdrawal-induced anxiety and drug-related memory. We further investigate the changes in prefrontal cortex perineuronal nets associated with Benzodiazepine withdrawal.

Hiring Plans: looking to hire 2 young researchers for summer 2025

APPLY HERE

History

In 2012, Macalester College was awarded a Precollege and Undergraduate Science Education Program Award by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), which supported multiple mechanisms for innovating the Macalester STEM curriculum and engaging students in local and global opportunities. The Young Researchers (YR) Program is one of these initiatives. The premise of the YR program is to give Macalester students, especially those from under-resourced and underrepresented backgrounds, access to research opportunities after their first- or second year of college. This early access to opportunities are extraordinarily impactful on a student’s journey of career exploration and academic discovery.

After the HHMI grant wound down in 2017, generous donors including the Macalester Board of Trustees, 3M Gives, and other alumni have supported the continuation of this unique opportunity for students to get involved in STEM research.

Previous participants in the Young Researchers Program

  • During the summer of 2024, Drs. Jerald Dosch and Mike Anderson served as the faculty mentor for:
    • Claire Kuno
    • Riley Karatas
  • During the summer of 2024, Dr. Susan Fox served as the faculty mentor for:
    • Elisa Avalos
    • Oscar Reza Bautista
  • During the summer of 2023, Dr. Lauren Milne served as the faculty mentor for:
    • Miri Leonard
    • Kyle Suelflow
    • Hien Anh Thi (Avianna) Bui
    • Lucy Rubin
  • During the summer of 2023, Dr. Ron Brisbois served as the faculty mentor for:
    • Isabella Hackerman
    • Lizzie Nelson
    • Fuxuan Liu
  • During the summer of 2022, Dr. Abby Marsh served as the faculty mentor for:
    • Teddy Gu
    • Emanuel Deleon
    • Vy Lam
  • During the summer of 2022, Dr. Mary Montgomery served as the faculty mentor for:
    • Flannery Dahlberg
    • Joe Ntayagabiri
    • Vyen Hayag
    • Aminah Mohamed Bouna
  • During the summer of 2019, Dr. Devavani Chatterjea served as the faculty mentor for:
    • Osmar del Rio
    • Celine Sabbagh
    • Carla Granados
    • Tenzin Yangdon
  • During the summer of 2018, Dr. Sarah Boyer and Dr. Kristi Curry Rogers serves as faculty co-mentors for:
    • Abby Grace (Abrielle) Dillon
    • Kai Bosley
    • Robert (Chiagoziem) Anigbogu
    • Lily Neuleib-Madden
    • Pietro Tardelli Canedo
  • During the summer of 2017, Dr. Dennis Cao served as a faculty mentor for the following four students
    • Stella Matutina Ikuzwe ’20
    • Nhu Nguyen ’20
    • Fernando Marquez Lechuga ’19
    • Hiywot Tulu ’20
  • During the summer of 2017, Dr. Devavani Chatterjea and Dr. Mary Montgomery served as faculty co-mentors for the following six students:
    • Gabriel Garcia Campos ’20
    • Marianne Moreno ’20
    • Kethulli Rodrigues ’19
    • Melissa Paola Kingue Silatcha ’20
    • Sayira Silverio ’20
    • Tenzin Yangdon ’19
  • During the summer of 2016, Dr. Leah Witus served as a faculty mentor for the following six students:
    • Erika Aguiluz ’19
    • Emily Chan ’19
    • Angel Diaz ’18
    • Trinity Gao ’19
    • Malik Mays ’19
    • Demani Shikomba ’19
  • During the summer of 2015, Dr. Mary Montgomery and Dr.Devavani Chatterjea served as faculty co-mentors for the following six students:
    • Jonathan Amezquita ’18
    • Erica Arriaga-Gomez ’18
    • Prajwal Giri ’18
    • Tasneem Issa ’18
    • Emely Mancia Chavez ’18
    • Danielle Rutledge ’18
  • During the summer of 2014, Dr. Lin Aanonsen and Dr. Sarah Boyer served as faculty co-mentors for the following six students:
    • Alexis Cruz  ’16
    • Nicole Mathews ’16
    • Robyn Park ’16
    • Phoung Pham ’16
    • Kaan Salcin ’17
    • Megan Schermerhorn ’16
  • During the summer of 2013, Dr. Lin Aanonsen and Dr. Paul Overvoorde served as faculty co-mentors for the following six students:
    • Issa Ali ’15
    • Cody Dail ’15
    • Kira Downey ’16
    • Christian Ortega-Trimble
    • Joy Minalla ’15
    • Puleng Moshele ’16
    • Zahrah Shakur ’16