Last Friday afternoon, students in Grades 5-8 were treated to an assembly by a Neuro-Scientist from the National Institute of Health after St. Ambrose was selected to host a USA Engineering and Science Nifty Fifty STEM Speaker!!! 

 

Dr. Harold Burgess, PhD., is the Head of the Section of Behavioral Neurogenetics, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, at the NIH.  He spoke to students about his path toward becoming a scientist, that took a rather circuitous route from his undergraduate studies at the University of Melbourne, Australia, to his Ph.D. from the Weizmann Institute of Science, in Israel.  His postdoctoral work was completed at the University of Pennsylvania.  In his presentation on Friday, he encouraged students to consider science as they discern their future career paths.  He explained what a typical day looks like for him as a scientist working in his own lab.  Presenting his own research on the brain behavior of zebrafish, he explained how their startle responses tells us a lot about human behavior and how it can inform research on autism and psychological diseases such as schizophrenia. He brought with him zebrafish embryos as well as a 3-D model of a zebrafish brain. Fascinating!  Thank you, Dr. Burgess!