Undergraduate Student Places Third at National Conference

UL Lafayette Senior, Amani Dobard, placed third at the Research Association of Minority Professors (RAMP) conference in Washington D.C. This year, the conference focued on "Challenging The Weaponization Of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)."

Amani’s project, the 'Effects of Maternal Separation on Microglia and Immune Marker Expression in the Central Nervous System,' investigates the impact of maternal separation on microglia and immune marker expression in the developing brain. Maternal separation, a method of exposing mouse pups to early life stress trials, resembling adverse childhood experiences in humans linked to depression, substance abuse, and health issues. The research focuses on neuroinflammation associated with neuropsychiatric illnesses. Using the tgFGFR1-eGFP mouse line, previous experiments observed an upregulation of using immunohistochemistry for IBA1 and MerTK. Understanding these effects is crucial for comprehending long-term impacts on neurodevelopment, contributing to interventions mitigating early life stress effects on the developing brain. The findings may guide targeted therapies for such consequences.

Amani is a student in the Ray P. Authement College of Science, majoring in Biology and minoring in Chemistry. She is also a scholar in the Louisiana Educate Program.

View Amani's presentation slides here.