The Kellner Center for Neurogenomics, Behavior, and Society

The Kellner Center will begin a new program this summer, the Kellner Research Experience for Undergraduate Students (KREUS). In our first year of this program, we will bring two undergraduate students from UIS to participate in research May 27 to July 31 through Kellner-supported labs.

Addison (Addie) Seiz is finishing her junior year in Psychology at UIS. For more than a year, she has worked as a research assistant under Hypatia Bolivar, contributing to the development of a quasi-experimental study from its beginning, assisting with the IRB application process, data collection, and data analysis. She has also helped with data extraction for a systematic review, which has greatly strengthened her skills related to critically evaluating research. After completing her bachelor’s degree, she intends to pursue graduate school with the goal of a career as a psychological researcher, particularly in topics related to how the body can adapt to changes in the environment, as well as how stress can impact behavior and cognition. She was especially drawn to the Kellner Center because of its focus on interdisciplinary research and the ways that various factors contribute to individuals and society. This summer, she will participate in research with the Sepideh Sadaghiani Lab.

Gavin Pfeiffer is finishing his junior year in Exercise Science and Physical Therapy at UIS. His lived experiences have inspired a fascination with the dynamic genome and how it influences human behavior, leading to his goal of becoming a researcher and understanding the molecular level of the struggle between biology and resiliency. Specifically, he is interested in neuroendocrinology and how hormones facilitate communication across different regions of the brain, hoping to eventually research how these biological imbalances can cause mental illnesses such as anxiety or depression and the mechanics of how we can measure and eventually improve these imbalances to better our stress resiliency. He was drawn to the Kellner Center in particular because of our focus on the dynamic genome and how it relates to biology and the environment. This summer, he will participate in research with the Uwe Rudolph Lab.

Both students will live on campus and conduct research full time while also participating in workshops designed to enhance their skills in academia, preparation for graduate school, and professional development. We are tapping into existing programs on campus that support summer undergraduate research experiences through professional development and training, culminating in a summer research symposium where the students will present their findings on July 30.