Imani Granville’s METEOR Program Experience
Hi ! My name is Imani Granville and I am a Senior studying Psychological & Brain Sciences with minors in STEM Teaching and Health Equity. I applied for the METEOR at the end of my junior year because I felt that having a stronger experimental and research background would improve my strengths as a science teacher. This past fall semester, I had the pleasure of teaching AP Environmental Science. While I taught that class, I had the opportunity to utilize some of the skills and experiences I had during my internship to make this learning experience more involved for my students.
During my internship, I had the opportunity to continue Dr. Hsiao’s work on the impact of genetic variability on cognitive function and motor skills. More specifically, we looked at Down Syndrome (MAC21 )mice and speech production to determine if these mice would emit altered ultrasonic vocalizations (USV’s) when compared to their euploid counterparts. To answer this question, Dr. Hsiao and I held twenty-four mice in front of an ultrasonic microscope for three minutes. We downloaded and transferred the sound files (.WAV) from the microscope to the DeepSqueak (3.1.0) program. This software allowed us to verify different mouse calls and to analyze the tonality, duration, and other frequency parameters. We found that There is a significant decrease in MAC21 mice for the number of calls and average tonality (kHz) and there were biases by sex amongst the mice. This research implies that there may be underlying muscular weakness amongst the MAC21 that lowers the ability to produce speech or USV’s. This project taught me many different programming skills, analysis techniques, and how to present information in a clear and concise way.
Outside of my lab work, the METEOR curriculum enriched my practical knowledge of the neuroscience field. We were able to shadow Medical Doctors on their rounds, watch animal surgeries, and were able to try out medical equipment in the GWU Simulation Center! We were able to hear from a variety of medical professionals who spoke about how their research translated to the real-world and how they were helping out local communities. Some doctors gave lectures on the different parts of the brain, their functions, and how continued research in these areas can help improve people’s lives.
Overall, my METEOR experience solidified my love for teaching. I discovered new and engaging techniques that brought my classroom to life! If you are interested in applying for METEOR, I say make the most of this opportunity! There are so many ways to be involved in the community at Children’s National and to explore your interests. Sign up for all the shadowing opportunities you can, go to all the field trips, and make friends! Most importantly, have fun!
