Undergraduate Research Assistant

svetterr@vols.utk.edu

Sophia is a junior double majoring in Neuroscience and Psychology. She earned her Associates of Science Degree at Roane State Community College and transferred to UTK in the Fall 2023 semester, where she then joined the lab. Sophia plans to continue working in the lab until her graduation in December of 2025. Sophia is currently working with PhD candidate AJ Castaneda on investigating a new method of influencing brain neuroplasticity involving the use of ketamine, as well as the effects of pubertal hormones and timing on social behavior. After her graduation at UTK, she aims to obtain her Masters and PhD in Neuroscience to continue research in cognitive and behavioral brain functioning.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

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Trevor is a senior from Memphis, Tennessee and joined the team in the Spring of 2023. He is majoring in Psychology and minoring in Business Management. Within the lab space he has assisted PhD student, Marcia Chavez, by tracing the BLA brain region and counting the neurons within that region to understand how different hormones affect neuroplasticity within an organism. After graduation, Trevor hopes to pursue higher education.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

mkalb1@vols.utk.edu

Madison began in the lab during the Spring of 2022. She graduated in May 2024 with a BA in Psychology and a neuroscience minor. She worked alongside Marcia Chavez to investigate the presence of perineuronal nets and parvalbumin in the basolateral amygdala of rats. She presented at the EURECA Conference and the Psychology Department’s Spring Celebration with Trevor Pounders in the Spring of 2023. She wrote her senior capstone thesis during Spring 2024 that analyzed the effects of gonadal steroid hormones on the presence of PNNs and PV in the BLA.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

zheyser@vols.utk.edu

Zachary is a sophomore majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in statistics. He joined the lab in spring of 2024. He currently serves as secretary in the University of Tennessee’s Melanin Mental Health Alliance where he advocates for mental health awareness and destigmatization in the African American community. He is currently working with AJ Castaneda to study the effects of ketamine on neuroplasticity. After graduation, Zachary aspires to become a clinical psychologist.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

annsunde@vols.utk.edu

Annie is a junior majoring in Neuroscience with a minor in Spanish. She joined the lab in the spring of 2024 and will be graduating in May of 2025. Annie is currently working alongside Jessica Tremblay to investigate the effects of adolescent stress on social behavior in adult rats. After graduation, she plans to attend medical school and eventually become a physician specializing in OB/GYN or neurology.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

awhale13@vols.utk.edu

Alyssa is a Neuroscience and BCMB double major with a minor in Psychology. She is anticipated to graduate May 2025. Following graduation, Alyssa aims to attend an MD/PhD program in pursuits of neurosurgery and clinical research.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

klin11@vols.utk.edu

Kenneth is a senior majoring in neuroscience and minoring in biological sciences and chemistry with an anticipated graduation date of May 2015. Currently, he is working on a project with Marcia Chavez that investigates the effects of developmental stress on inhibitory neural networks. After graduation, he plans to attend dental school.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

hqx671@vols.utk.edu

Sydney is a junior double majoring in Neuroscience and Psychology. She joined the lab in the fall of 2023 and is excited to continue working until she graduates in May of 2025. Sydney is currently working with PhD candidate AJ Castanada on studying the effects of pubertal timing and hormones on neuroplasticity. After graduation, Sydney plans to attend an accelerated nursing program and eventually hopes to become a nurse practitioner specializing in neurology.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

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Maddie is a Neuroscience and Spanish double major with an anticipated graduation date of May 2025. Her current work focuses on how prenatal and adolescent stress alter neuroplasticity in the basolateral amygdala and central amygdala. After graduation, she plans on attending medical school to eventually work in a pediatric subspecialty.

Post-Bachelor Research Assistant

May 2024-May 2025

ndillman@utk.edu , ndillman81@gmail.com  

Nancy is a post-bachelor with a BA in Psychology. She is working with AJ Castaneda on identifying relationships between ketamine’s effects on PNN density within testosterone-dependent regions of the brain and resulting reproductive behaviors. While her immediate aim is completing an M.S.E.D. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Nancy’s ultimate goals are to specialize in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy while supporting the advancement of research on the ethics, safety, and efficacy of nontraditional mental health approaches.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

ibenson@vols.utk.edu

Belle is a senior at the University of Tennessee studying Psychology and Neuroscience. She joined the lab in the spring of 2023, assisting PhD student AJ Castaneda in studying the effects of pubertal timing on social behavior. After graduation, Belle plans to apply to medical school and eventually become a plastic surgeon.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

mmaynor2@vols.utk.edu

Meg is a neuroscience major from Kingsport, Tennessee, and she intends to graduate a semester early in  December of 2024. Currently, her work, alongside Jess, focuses on how the addition of hormones during adolescence affects the neuroplasticity of the medial prefrontal cortex. After undergrad, she intends to pursue her MD! 

Undergraduate Research Assistant

ainscore@vols.utk.edu

Ansley is a neuroscience major with a double minor in pre-health professions and psychology. Currently, her work with Marcia focuses on the effects of developmental stress on neural plasticity. She intends to graduate in May of 2025. After graduation, she plans to go on to attain her PhD in neuroscience.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

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Olivia is a junior majoring in Neuroscience and pursuing a minor in English. She has assisted with immunofluorescent imaging for the Hormone Monster project. Additionally, she has completed behavioral analysis while collaborating with the Richardson Lab at UMASS Amherst under Dr. Schulz’s supervision. Olivia is a non-traditional student and a mother of three. She plans to go to medical school after graduating and hopes to specialize in pediatric surgery while simultaneously conducting research on treatments for Glioblastoma.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

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Erin is a senior majoring in Biochemistry and Neuroscience and will be graduating in Spring of 2024. Her current work focuses on how prenatal and adolescent stress alter neuroplasticity in the basolateral amygdala and central amygdala. After graduation she hopes to either pursue a PhD in biochemistry or go to pharmacy school.

Abby is a junior majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in English. Her anticipated graduation date is in 2025. In hopes of finding new information about stress-related neuroplasticity, she has assisted in imaging and data collection for the Hormone Monster project, focusing on specifically the hippocampus region. Along with fellow research assistants, she presented at both the Eureca Convention, where she won an Achievement Award within the College of Arts and Sciences Division, and the Psychology Department’s Spring Celebration. She is currently on the pre-med track in hopes of becoming a psychiatrist.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

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Kim is a senior majoring in Microbiology and joined the team in the Fall of 2021. As a non-traditional college student, she took a break from university life to attend trade school and began working as a nurse to gain experience in the medical field, eventually returning to complete her degree at UTK. Post-graduation plans include applying to Physician Assistant programs or medical school to eventually serve patients as a trusted clinician with interests in the fields of orthopedics and neurology. Within the lab, she has been helping with imaging and data collection for the Hormone Monster and Red Light District projects under AJ’s guidance.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

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Joseph is an undergraduate Neuroscience major and is anticipated to graduate in the Spring of 2026. His work focuses on how stress during different stages of adolescence affects neuroplasticity within the medial prefrontal cortex. After he graduates, Joseph will aim for a PhD in Neuroscience in order to research ADHD and plans on making information regarding ADHD to be more accessible.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

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Grayce Garcia is a Neuroscience and Psychology double major with an anticipated graduation date of May 2025. Her work focuses on how developmental stress affects neuroplasticity by analyzing PNNs in the hippocampus. Grayce hopes to pursue medical school after obtaining her bachelor’s, and is working to discover her passion in terms of specialties.

Undergraduate Research Assistant

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Alivia is a junior double majoring in biology with a concentration in BCMB on the pre-medicine track and neuroscience and plans to graduate in the spring of 2025. She has assisted in imaging several regions of the brain for the hormone monster project alongside graduate student AJ Castenada. After graduation she hopes to attend medical school with plans of becoming a neurosurgeon.

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Micah started working in the lab in July 2021. She graduated in 2023 with a Bachelors in Neuroscience and a minor in psychology. She has been studying the effects of pubertal timing on neuroplasticity in brain regions associated with social behavior. She has presented data at Eureca, NCUR, and the Psychology Department’s Spring Celebration. She is now hoping to find a job.

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Moneera is a 2023 graduate who got her Bachelors in Science, with a major in neuroscience and a minor in psychology. She has presented data at the Psychology Departments Spring Celebration and EUReCA. She won an Achievement Award in the College of Arts and Sciences, Natural Sciences department for her research presented at EUReCa. She is hoping to become a Physician Assistant in the future.

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Kaitlin graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor’s in Kinesiology and a minor is Spanish. At UTK, she studied how hormones affect neuroplasticity in the medial prefrontal cortex during adolescence. Kaitlin hopes to attend medical school and is currently working on her applications.

Zoe was a member of the Schulz lab from 2021 to 2022. She graduated in 2022 with a bachelor of science in psychology and statistics. Currently, she works at Vanderbilt university as a Research Analyst in a computational neuroscience lab that studies vision. Since then, she has been given the opportunity to travel to places such as Vienna, Austria, to collect research data for the lab and work closely on projects with other lab members and researchers. She is hoping to pursue a career in the field of analytics.

Carinne joined the lab in 2018, she is a Microbiology major with a minor in Psychology. Her work focuses on the effects of prenatal stress on the development of brain extracellular matrix structures called PNNs. She will be graduating in May 2021 and hopes to go into medical school after.

Ashton is a neuroscience major expecting to graduate in Fall 2020. She is currently working on PNN development in the medial amygdala of mice and rats. She is looking to be accepted into an interdisciplinary graduate program for Fall 2021 , and would like to become involved with neurophysics

Undergraduate Research Assistant

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Veronica is a junior majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Psychology. She has assisted in tracing the genital cortex in the somatosensory cortex alongside Master’s student, Ian Warren. After graduation, Veronica wants to attend medical school in hopes of furthering her passions in psychology as a psychiatrist MD!