my interest in Neuroscience
I am writing to express my strong motivation for furthering my studies in Neuroscience at your institute, as well as my intentions for conducting interdisciplinary neuroscience research within and beyond my degree. My career objectives include conducting neurobiological research, using evidence based knowledge to directly influence policy, and using my experience in radio and print journalism to bridge science and common understanding.
The origins of my interest in Neuroscience began with research questions about the interface between external conditions and subjective experience that I developed in queer theory courses as an undergraduate student. My Bachelors education in Women and Gender Studies and History equipped me with skills for deep analysis of complex systematic phenomena through critical and queer theory, seeking to analyze power, its distribution, and its impact on individuals, communities, and cultures. For my senior thesis and internship, I conducted research on the intersections between social institutions such as policing entities and mental health crisis intervention. Utilizing participatory action research methods, I worked with 100+ directly impacted individuals to create and implement surveys for policy creation on mental health crisis intervention in my county. This project inspired broad research questions about how humans adapt and respond to their experiences and social environments. The deeper I investigated this topic, the more interested I became in empirical research methods on the cellular mechanisms behind these processes. I'd like to use systems approaches to understand the neural correlates of complex behavioral responses and experience dependent risk factors for trauma, addiction, neurodegenerative disorders and affective disorders. This project also helped me develop the interpersonal and organizational skills that I still use today in my volunteer community organizing work and advocacy work.
In my advocacy position at ___, an emergency shelter for survivors fleeing domestic or sexual violence, I conduct intakes for new clients, help meet client basic needs, provide emotional support, conflict mediate, and assist clients in navigating legal and economic systems during their stay. Additionally, I have assisted in developing and implementing curriculum on the Neurobiology of Trauma for volunteers and incoming direct service staff members. Working in close contact with survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault has fueled my interest in further understanding the underlying mechanisms of trauma, resilience and the implications for health and psychiatric or disease risk. Sites for investigation in the brain include the evolution and morphology of the limbic system and vagus nerve, the genes for synaptic proteins, receptor specific downstream signaling processes, as well as pharmacological interventions. Building upon my education and experience, I am excited for the opportunity to develop my research skills by learning neuro-imaging and hands on lab work. World class research centers such as ___ have drawn me to __ for my studies. I'd love to not only forge interdisciplinary alliances, but multicultural alliances to address the multifaceted issues facing the world's people today.
I have nurtured this interest in Neuroscience by enrolling in 9 hours of upper division Neuroscience and 21 hours of Psychology courses as a continuing education student, attending conferences and lectures, and reading about the history and contemporary issues in the field. I seem to possess a seemingly endless well of curiosity on topics of systematic nature, spanning from the role of economic policies on life outcomes for disenfranchised communities to the role of protein kinase activity in Hebbian plasticity. In my courses, I have conducted and presented research on the evolution of synaptic proteomes, excelled at my exams, and received the highest marks.
I am passionate about science accessibility and find it important to not only utilize the scientific method for investigation but to also translate the cutting edge of science into common understanding and into more just policy in our social institutions. The ability to impart justice relies upon a relationship with truth, and we reach for truth through investigation and methodical study. I come from several traditions, a queer tradition, a tradition of mutual aid and social justice, and I am excited to be pursuing the scientific tradition with a global education in Neuroscience as the next step in my career.
