Dionne Williams, M.S.

PhD Student

IMay 2016, Dionne Williams graduated from Wesley College with a bachelors degree in Biological Chemistry. In December 2018, Dionne graduated with her master’s degree in Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience. Under the guidance of Dr. Y. Hwan Kim, she studied therapeutic strategies against Parkinson’s Disease using in vitro and in vivo models. Currently, Dionne is now pursuing her PhD in neuroscience conducting research with Dr. Hakeem Lawal where she is studying the effects of pesticide exposure. Dionne’s future goal is to pursue a career in administration or research at a government agency.

Dashan Osborne

PhD Student

Dashan Osborne is a second year PhD student whose research is focused on determining the effect of changes in VAChT function on cholinergic synaptic physiology

Lindsey Ruggiero

PhD Student

Lindsey received her Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience with a minor in Public Health from Muhlenberg College in 2013. It was there that she developed the two-door alley maze, used to train rats on discrimination tasks. Her main research goal was to understand the concept of "updated consolidation," and the alteration of memories. She is a now fourth year doctorate student whose research is focused on Drosophila models of genetic and sporadic Parkinson's disease.

Amir McNair

Master's Student

Amir is a second year Master's student (Jan. 2021). His research interest is in developing in vivo sensors for measuring acetylcholine release and using that tool to measure the effects of changes in VAChT

Sophia Gondolfo

Undergraduate Student

Sophia Gondolfo is an undergraduate student at Delaware State University, currently majoring in Biological Sciences with a minor in Chemistry. She is working on an experiment in Dr. Lawal's lab alongside Sridhar Boppana to test how trafficing of VAChT in S2 cells of Drosophila is effected by mutants in the VAChT gene.

Esther Abiona

Undergraduate Student

Esther Abiona is majoring in Biological Sciences with a minor in Chemistry. She is working on a project alongside PhD student Dionne Williams to explore the effects of Rotenone, a common environmental toxin, and establish research that shows that Dacarbazine is a potential neuroprotective chemical against a model of PD. Following her undergraduate studies, Esther would like to attend medical school with the aspirations of becoming a medical doctor.

Rubi Guadarrama

Undergraduate Student

Rubi Guadarrama is a senior and a Psychology major.

Joshua James Garcia

Undergraduate Student

Joshua Garcia is a freshman (Jan 2021) and a new member of the lab effective January 2021

Taylor Davis

Undergraduate Student

Taylor Davis is a freshman Biology major (Jan 2021) and a new member of the lab effective January 2021

Yolanda Rush

Undergraduate Student

Yolanda Rush is a freshman Forensic Biology major (Jan 2021) and a new member of the lab effective January 2021

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