Hi! My name is Sophia Cao, and I am a rising senior at Cedar Ridge High School in Hillsborough. At Cedar Ridge, I'm in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, which is basically AP level classes smushed together with some big essays/projects and a Theory of Knowledge course in a program with a really long name. Erica did this program too in high school!
I play a lot of sports, and I'm usually in one for at least 2 or so seasons a school year. I've done Cross Country, Swimming, and Track, and I'm starting tennis in the summer/fall. And I am totally open to playing tennis with someone who knows how some weekend!
I also enjoy listening to and finding music, most of my favorite bands being of the British indie sort, though I really like almost everything and I enjoy dabbling in a variety of genres (even opera, minimally!) Oh and you should check this video out--it's this absolutely amazing opera performance by this mobile phone salesman from Wales. Most of you have probably already seen it, but if you haven't, it's worth seeing. http://youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA
My lab this year deals in neuroscience. I work with Melissa Glenn, a postdoc in Dr. Christina Williams' lab. I'm coming in at the end stages of a 2-year study on the effects of prenatal choline exposure levels on neurogenesis, memory, and explorative tendencies in aging rats who have been exposed to different levels of choline during the prenatal stages. So far, I've done everything from observing rat maze tests to watching perfusions and brain extractions, to moving delicate slices of rat brains into appropriate containers. The research that this lab does really has the potential to be quite revolutionary. Eventually, it is plausible that research like this can help improve quality of life drastically for the aging population. These old rats (90-something in rat years) and their seemingly random wanderings have the capacity to change lives! Who would have thought?
It looks like I'm in for an exciting summer! I'm really happy that I am a part of this possibly groundbreaking study.
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Sounds like a great project, Sophia! It's neat that you get to be there near the end of the project so you can see how things come together.
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