Major: Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology & Psychology
Mentor: Pathology – Daniel Promislow, Benjamin Harrison
Contact:younbil@uw.edu
Current research project:Impact of Neuronal Tau on Response to Traumatic Brain Injury
Bill is a rising senior in Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology and Psychology. As a student interested in research, he is working in the Promislow Lab on a project studying the impact on neuronal tau, the protein associated with Alzheimer’s, on the mortality following a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in fruit flies. Outside of research, Bill enjoys hiking, swimming, and binge watching shows.
Translate your work so that we can all understand its importance
My research involves expressing the protein associated with the onset of Alzheimer’s, tau, in fruit flies. The impact of this expression is then quantified by the amount of dead flies following a traumatic brain injury (TBI). This information can give us information relevant to the pathways of Alzheimer’s and TBIs, which can help us develop TBI clinical therapies and treatments for Alzheimer’s.
When, how, and why did you get involved in undergraduate research?
I got involved in research during my freshman year after learning more about scientific literature in my biology classes and realizing how many opportunities there were on-campus. Wanting to contribute to the growing field of science, I started reaching out to lab and eventually applied to an undergraduate research assistant position in the Promislow Lab!
What advice would you give a student who is considering getting involved in undergraduate research?
Don’t be shy, there are so many labs on campus and so many opportunities for students to get involved in research! Reach out to as many as you can and find the one that fits you best!