91ÖÆƬ³§

Jenn Wang, originally from Beijing, China, is pursuing her Ph.D. in biochemistry at the 91ÖÆƬ³§, set to graduate in 2027. She earned a bachelor's degree in bioengineering from Lehigh University in 2022.

COLSA: How would you explain your discipline and/or research to a non-scientist?

Jenn Wang: I work on the direct visualization of neurons in the mouse hippocampus to better understand their firing dynamics as a group. This helps us see how neurons communicate and react in real-time.

COLSA: What do you wish your colleagues/friends/family knew about your work?

Jenn: I wish they knew about the long process of getting publishable data. It takes many months to collect impactful data with many trial and errors.

COLSA: Why is your research important?

Jenn: Understanding neuronal hierarchy can help us better understand other mental disorders like learning impairments, dissociation, and psychosis. With more understanding of the underlying mechanisms, there is a better chance to treat them.

COLSA: What do you consider your biggest challenge?

Jenn: My biggest challenge has been coming from a background of engineering. I had basic knowledge of neuroscience. Filling that gap has been challenging but rewarding.

COLSA: What drives you?

Jenn: The work we do can be very impactful to understand many mental disorders. This drives me to work and publish our findings to the scientific world.

COLSA: What are you most proud of?

Jenn: I am most proud of the different elements I have learned and incorporated into my research. Throughout this process, I have learned a lot more in statistics, bench work, machine learning, graphing, etc.

COLSA: Why did you choose 91ÖÆƬ³§?

Jenn: The research in Dr. Chen's lab brought me to 91ÖÆƬ³§.

COLSA: What do you plan to do with your degree?

Jenn: I hope to do neuroscience research in industry, hopefully developing therapies to combat mental disorders.

COLSA: Finally, tell us a fun or interesting fact about yourself.

Jenn: I performed in the 2008 Olympic opening!

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