Colleen Mullins
Contact:
Department of Biology
University of Virginia
Physical Life Sciences Building
PO Box 400328
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4328
csm4bg(at)virginia.edu
I am a second year from Chicago, IL. My current project in Dr. Larson's lab aims to uncover the role of microglia for adult neurogenesis. For this study, sparrows were housed under breeding conditions for one to twenty-eight days before brain tissue was collected. I am currently quantifying microglia numbers and by morphological state in HVC as well as proliferation of the neural progenitor cells in the ventricular zone (VZ). I will compare the numbers and timing of any plasticity in cell population size across microglia, neural progenitor cells, and neurons to begin to explore the relationship between these populations.
In addition to research, I volunteer through Madison House Medical Services, I work as an emergency medical scribe in the UVA Emergency Department, and I'm a member of Zeta Tau Alpha. After undergrad, my goal is to attend a MSTP institution for an MD/PhD to do clinical research.