As part of the NPRE program, students are provided early access to research opportunities before the start of their undergraduate studies. Through participation in a laboratory setting, students begin building meaningful, long-term connections with faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral scholars. The program offers a unique hands-on training experience within a host laboratory under the active guidance of a designated mentor, such as a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow. Through the eight-week Phase I program period, our students participated in well-structured research projects.
NPRE Phase I Summer 2026 Research Poster Titles and Authors
Eva Basil:
She's Just Not That Into Stress: Estrous-State Gating of Reward Learning and VMS Dopamine
Eva Basil, Ashley Miller, Brandon Garcia, Morgan Johnston, Mathew Wanat
Sophia Cantu:
Validating the Impact of BPS Exposure on Mouse Placental and Fetal Fevelopment
Sophia Cantu, Kaitlyn Mason, Laura Chavez, John McCarrey
Samantha Gonzalez:
Serotonin Receptor Expression in the Inferior Colliculus of Fragile X Mice
Samantha Gonzalez, Shrestha Datta, Zoya Nazir, Marina Silveira
Dalia Morales:
Disturbing Glioblastoma Extracellular Matrix Stiffness Utilizing Magnetomechanical Stimulation
Dalia M. Morales, Gabriela Romero-Uribe
Fiyona Redae:
The Effect of Inflammation in Bitter Taste Receptor Synapses
Fiyona Redae, Laura Galvan, Emily Holder, Lindsey Macpherson
Blake Reyna:
Characterizing SOX3 and ID4 Markers Within the Adult Mouse Brain
Blake Reyna, Jake Gray, Brian Hermann
Brian Udom:
Cortical Organoids: Effects on Neurodevelopment
Brian Udom, Sara Mirsadeghi, and Jenny Hsieh
Ekaterini Vallas:
Characterizing the Phenotypes of Immature Astroglia in a Mouse Model of Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy
Ekaterini Vallas, Emma Kanzabedian, David Narvaiz, Jenny Hsieh
Noah Xavier:
The Impact of Differential DNA Methylation in Obesity on Cellular Metabolism in Skeletal Muscle Cells
Noah Xavier, Emily Shrimpton, Melanie Carless
Funding
The NPRE program is funded by the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NIH NINDS) under award number R25NS147371.
