BHRI Undergraduate Fellows 2024

The Brain Health Research Institute Undergraduate Fellows Program offers highly qualified and motivated undergraduate students an immersive program that includes research-intensive experiences in neuroscience, as well as mentoring, skills training, and career-development support. 

Name: Amber Tuck

Major: Speech Pathology & Audiology, Minors in Psychology & Autism Spectrum Disorders

Hometown: Plainfield, Illinois

Mentor: Dr. Hayley Arnold, Associate Professor, Department of Health Sciences

Hi, my name is Amber Tuck (she/her) from Plainfield, Illinois and I will be a senior in the 2024-2025 school year. I am majoring in speech pathology and audiology with minors in psychology and autism spectrum disorders. I became interested in this research experience because I want to learn more about the research process. I hope to gain experience so when I graduate, I have more knowledge to look back on as I start my professional career. I am assisting in research on attentional biases on stuttering in early childhood. 

I love to read and dance, basically anything where I can be creative! I am also a member of Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority where I am currently our Vice President of New Member Education. I am very excited to get started and learn everything I can!

Name: Haillee Ekis

Major: Biology, Concentration in Pre-Medicine

Hometown: Atlantic, Pennsylvania

Mentor: Dr. Lique Coolen, Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Assistant Director, BHRI

My name is Haillee Ekis (she/they), and I am a senior biology major with a concentration in pre-medicine from Atlantic, PA. In my free time, I enjoy reading, playing pickleball, and gardening. 

This summer, I will be working with Dr. Coolen to study the effects of spinal cord injuries on male sexual and reproductive function in mouse and rat models. I am so excited to work hands on in the lab this summer!

Name: Vinaya Patel 

Major: Psychology (Pre-Medicine)

Hometown: Broadview Heights, Ohio

Mentor: Dr. Christopher Was, Professor, Department of Psychological Sciences

My name is Vinaya Patel and I am a third-year Psychology Pre-med major with a minor in Healthcare Systems Management. I will be working with Dr. Was this summer on his research about whether learning of complex implicit tasks, such as artificial grammar and artificial syntax learning tasks, is possible when mind wandering. We will be investigating the implications for theories of mind wandering, implicit learning, and the dissociation between procedural and declarative memory. I am interested and excited for this research experience, and am looking forward to developing critical skills and gather experiences that will help me prepare for research during my time in medical school. During my free time, I love hanging out with my friends and family, record music, and watch Grey’s Anatomy!

Name: Sydney Anderson

Major: Neuroscience

Hometown: New Philadelphia, Ohio

Mentor: Colleen Novak, Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences

My name is Sydney Anderson I use She/Her pronouns, and I am from New Philadelphia, Ohio. I am looking forward to graduating this upcoming fall semester with a Neuroscience B.S. 

My main research interests are neuroendocrinology and dietary influences on behavior and physiology. This summer my research topic is neural control of thermogenesis, which investigates dietary influences on physiology. 

Name: Riley Boehm

Major: Biology (Pre-Medicine)

Hometown: West Mifflin, Pennsylvania

Mentor: Dr. John Johnson, Professor, Biological Sciences, Director, School of Biomedical Science

My name is Riley Boehm and I am a second year pre-med biology major with a health care ethics minor from West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. This summer I will be working under Dr. Johnson who is investigating the neural-immune interactions that regulate behavior, mood, and cognitive functioning. I am interested in the research experience because I would like to continue to pursue research throughout the rest of my undergraduate career and after. I believe that this experience will be very beneficial to my future. 

I am very excited to gain more hands-on experience which has the potential to someday benefit others and create connections with the faculty. I enjoy participating in the Phi Delta Epsilon chapter here at Kent State, In my free time, I like reading, going to concerts, and hanging out with my friends.

Name: Kate Hensley

Major: Speech Pathology & Audiology

Hometown: Hudson, Ohio

Mentor: Dr. Julia Huyck, Associate Professor, Health Sciences, and Assistant Director, BHRI

My name is Kate Hensley and I am from Hudson, Ohio. I will be a junior this year majoring in speech pathology and audiology. I am interested in research experience because I would like to expand my knowledge in the field of speech pathology and audiology, gain valuable experience interacting with children and their families, and further develop my collaboration skills that will be vital to my career as a speech-language pathologist. 

This summer, I will be working under Dr. Huyck to further investigate auditory perception and perceptual learning during adolescents. My hobbies include exercising, spending time with friends and family, finding fun coffee shops, and walking my dog.

Name: Grace Davis

Major: Neuroscience

Hometown: Columbiana, Ohio

Mentor: Dr. Joseph Bedont, Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences Department

My name is Grace and my pronouns are she/her/hers and I’m from Columbiana Ohio. I’m currently a Neuroscience major who is interested in this research experience since it is my dream to have my own research lab. My topic of research this summer is the connection between lack of sleep and the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Outside of research I enjoy reading, playing Minecraft, cooking, watching documentaries, and taking care of my cranky bearded dragon. 

Name: Samantha Allan

Major: Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology

Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana

Mentor: Dr. Julia Huyck, Associate Professor, Health Sciences, and Assistant Director, BHRI

Name: Hamza Rouiha

Major: Biology (Pre-Medicine)

Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio

Mentor: Dr. Jennifer McDonough, Associate Professor, Biological Sciences Department

My name is Hamza Rouiha, and I am an upcoming senior. I am a biology major with a concentration in Pre-Med track. I am from Cleveland, Ohio but my family is originally from Morocco. 

I am interested in this research experience because I recently did an individual investigation with Dr. McDonough on Multiple sclerosis, and I just really enjoyed learning about the different neurological pathways and also knowing that this research serves a purpose and helpful potential therapies for M.S. During my research, I would be looking at the potential link of PFAS and the potential ways it can cause M.S. One interesting fact about me is that I enjoy playing numerous sports such as basketball and soccer. 

Name: Nolan King

Major: Psychology; Minor: Management

Hometown: Columbus, Ohio

Mentor: Dr. Dong Whi Yoo, Assistant Professor, School of Information

My name is Nolan King (he/him), and I am from Columbus, Ohio. I am a senior in psychology with a management minor. I am interested in gathering research experience because research is my passion, and the sooner I can be exposed to it, the better. I will be working with Dr. Dong Whi Yoo regarding AI technology and mental health. 

As for me, I enjoy listening to music, playing video games, casual bowling, and making people laugh. I am excited to see the many opportunities the fellowship can bring me.

Name: Samantha McAnany

Major: Biology - Molecular and Cellular Biology

Hometown: Brookfield, Ohio

Mentor: Dr. Wilson Chung, Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences

My name is Sami McAnany, and I am a sophomore majoring in biology with a concentration in molecular and cellular biology. I come from Brookfield, Ohio.  

This summer I will be researching with Dr. Chung, and the research will be focusing on the epigenetic control of GnRH neuron development in the mouse. I am interested in this experience to further learn about how I can improve my communication and lab skills, and to see if research is where I want to further my career.  Some of my hobbies include doing sudoku puzzles, watching my favorite tv shows, and baking.

Name: Anna Joy

Major: Neuroscience and Biochemistry

Hometown: Columbiana, Ohio

Mentor: Dr. John Johnson, Professor, Biological Sciences, Director, School of Biomedical Science

My name is Anna Joy and I am from Columbiana, Ohio. I will be a junior in the fall semester studying neuroscience and biochemistry. I am looking forward to having the opportunity to grow my scientific knowledge and my research skills. I will be studying the interactions between the nervous and immune systems during a sickness response. Aside from research, I will be earning my phlebotomy certification and working as an organist this summer.

Name: Tasnuva Promi

Major: Neuroscience; Minor: Psychology

Hometown: Dhaka, Bangladesh

Mentor: Dr. Richard Piet, Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences Department

I am Tasnuva Promi but I go by Tas. My pronouns are she/her. I’m from Bangladesh. I’m a neuroscience major & a psych minor. I will be a junior in this upcoming 24-25 year. 

I am interested in this research experience because I really wanted to explore and see how much this experience aligns with my interests and career aspirations. This opportunity is exciting because I will to be able to expand my knowledge and skills in the area. The experience represents a chance for me to grow personally and professionally while making a meaningful contribution to the scientific community, and I couldn’t be more glad to have been given this opportunity. 

This summer, I am studying the electrical activity of kisspeptin neurons in brain slices. I’m super excited to see what results I can come up with. I like to read, paint and I also love photography. One fun fact about myself is that I’m always up for a challenge and even though it scares me a little bit at first, I still stick to it until I solve it, and personally, I love that for myself!