Huda Mian
As a neuroscience major, Huda Mian's undergraduate research focused on better understanding the workings of the brain in relation to epilepsy.
Huda's research experience, she says, taught her how to effectively analyze published papers and how to use the information to develop protocols.
Where are you from? What is your major?
I am from Sioux City, Iowa, and I majored in neuroscience on the pre-med track.
What kind of research did you study?
I worked on a project where we learned more about the role of tanycytes (brain cells) in epilepsy using mice.
Would you recommend research to incoming students?
Definitely! Research allowed me to critically analyze other published papers and use the information to develop protocols and analyze the data. I learned how to take information from one subject and apply it to another. For example, using basic cellular concepts and applying them to my research topic. It's a very mind-opening experience that everyone should take advantage of!
Why is research important to you?
It's constantly changing, and we’re developing new techniques and methods that help us learn more about the human body. We don't know much about the brain, and research is a way to learn and understand normal versus diseased states and find solutions to them.
Now that you have graduated, what are your plans?
I plan on taking a gap year and apply to medical school while either working in a hospital or pursuing a one-year anatomy masters degree.
How will your research experience help you reach your goals?
Research taught me a lot of discipline and hand stability from sectioning and mouthing hundreds of brain slices. But most importantly, I learned techniques that not only help me now in the lab but also will help me in the future.
