Department NewsUnmasking the Spatiotemporal Signature of Neurodegenerative Disease
Mentor: Micaela Martinez-Bakker
I am looking for a summer student to work on an independent project I am developing specifically for Ed-Quest. The goal of this project will be to test the hypothesis that during particular times of year (i.e. during a particular season) the human nervous system is acutely susceptible to neuronal damage by neurodegenerative diseases. The student will analyze multiple (novel and very exciting) data sets containing case and mortality data for infectious and non-infectious neurodegenerative diseases. Specifically, they will focus on Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, viral meningitis, and viral encephalitis. I am looking for a student with an interest in disease, population ecology, and physiology. Throughout the summer I will work one-on-one with the student and I will be teaching them the computer programing and statistical skills needed to tackle this project. I am part of a large research group here at Michigan that studies infectious diseases with the aim of informing public health policy and improving human health. My student will be immersed in a very rich academic environment where they will engage with myself and other scientists during lab meetings and informal discussions to learn about disease ecology.
