B-RAD Lab

Having a blast at the Men’s Health Expo at the Sumter County Civic Center! We’ll be here until 2, so stop by and get some freebies! (Also… we met Jake from State Farm)

Congratulations to our wonderful graduate student, Nicole Friedman, on passing her thesis defense today! We are so proud of you, Nicole! 😄

On April 8th, 2022, the University of Alabama celebrated Honors Day. The Department of Psychology and the University of Alabama take the time to recognize those students who have gone above and beyond in a week-long celebration that culminates in the Honors Day Tapping Ceremony. This year, we were lucky enough to have four members of the B-RAD lab receive awards during this honors celebration.

Below are the following honors our members received:

- Abby Williams was recognized for her Significant Contributions to Research in Psychology and as a Fall 2021 inductee into Psi Chi Honors Society.
- Isabelle Combs was recognized as a Senior Honors Student, Academic Excellence as a Major in Psychology, and received the Andy Reaves Memorial Award.
- ​Rachel Estreicher was awarded Academic Excellence by a Major in Psychology.
- Taryn Crone was a Spring 2022 inductee into Psi Chi Honors Society.

​We are extremely grateful to have such talented and intelligent individuals contributing their time to our lab. We are so very proud of the leadership qualities, accomplishments, and achievements of this group!

In honor of week, our undergraduate research assistant, Ja'Lynn Harris, shared some of her interests and experiences:

1. What interests you about neuroscience?

"I love the field of neuroscience because it is an extremely broad field to study. It ranges from studying the nervous system to the many different functions of our brains. I find it extremely interesting to understand how we as individuals process information differently across various backgrounds and demographics."

2. What aspects of DEI would you like to see more of in the neuroscience field?

"I would love to see more inclusion of individuals with disabilities such as motor, vision, and hearing impairments. I would also like to see more research in areas geared towards individuals with different socioeconomic backgrounds as it relates to how they cope with their social challenges."

3. How has neuroscience research helped shape you?

"Neuroscience has helped raise awareness within myself of the many challenges we face in our community. Neuroscience research has also broadened my perspective as an African American seeing how important it is to promote inclusion of underrepresented populations. Researching in this field encouraged me to continue to develop more ways to diversify future research projects."

4. What is one thing this lab does in its DEI efforts that you find commendable?

"In my opinion, I love how the B-RAD lab promotes the inclusion of all underserved communities. I especially like the fact that the B-RAD lab dedicates time in lab meetings to discuss ways of outreach to these specific populations. The B-RAD lab also makes it their mission to educate themselves on populations outside of just themselves."

5. What does being a Black woman in neuroscience mean to you?

"Being a Black woman in neuroscience is important to me because it allows me to be a representative for the Black community. Neuroscience is an area that can drastically impact us as it relates to our mental, social, and physical well-being. As a Black woman especially, it is easy to become overlooked in scientific fields of study. I admire the fact that I am able to acknowledge some of these issues and advocate for change."

6. Can you highlight some of your B-RAD Lab accomplishments?

"While in the B-RAD lab, I have accomplished the task of successfully operating an EEG cap to collect data for the different projects we conduct. This is my first experience with a lab that uses this particular technology for its studies, and it is compelling to learn new techniques as I develop as a research assistant for this lab."

Happy International SCN2A Awareness Day! Sending lots of love to our SCN2A Warriors today and every day!

Fun fact: the SCN2A gene is located on the long (q) arm of chromosome 2 at position 24.3, so that is why we celebrate our Warriors on 2/24!

We were so lucky to have Dr. Hudac spend so much time with our SCN2A Warriors last fall. They did an amazing job and we're excited to share the study results VERY soon. Every Warrior has such a unique brain and we are honored to help move us closer to a cure.

For more information about the SCN2A Foundation, visit their website at: https://www.scn2a.org/ or their page: SCN2A Related Autism & Epilepsy: The FamilieSCN2A Foundation