People
Hello! I am Bella M. Rabago, a Cognitive Science major at the University of Arizona. I hope to become a Neuropsychologist and specialize in early childhood development. I want to work in education in order to provide a cognitive perspective in special education, especially for underrepresented groups and in underfunded districts. As for the Ricoy Lab, my main interests are developing my research skills and mentoring for the NEURON program.
Email: imrabago3@arizona.edu
My name is Desiree Nguyen, and I use She/Her pronouns. As a Flinn Scholar 2022 at UA, I am triple majoring in Neuroscience & Cognitive Sciences, Psychological Sciences, and Molecular & Cellular Biology while minoring in Biochemistry. In Ricoy’s Lab, I am exploring the effects of different ions and neurotransmitters on the neural activity of a clam by employing low-cost recording techniques. As a mentor for the NEURON program, I hope to promote diversity and equity in neuroscience through participating in educational outreach at local schools in Tucson. Besides neuroscience, my research interests also include investigating the water contamination of South Tucson and examining the implementation of CBT on insomnia in my other labs.
Email: desireennguyen@arizona.edu
Hi everyone! I am Amanda Feng. I am currently a Neuroscience and Cognitive science major at the University of Arizona. I am also hoping to pursue a triple minor in criminology, chinese, and biochemistry. I am extremely interested in the neurophysiology and neuropsychology composition in children. My interest in the neuro makeup of children and the influence of the Ricoy lab has broadened my interest to expand access in neuroscience to historically excluded groups by providing inexpensive equipment that can be accessible to middle/ high school students. We plan to deliver this endeavor through the NEURON program in which we go to neighboring schools and teach children about how to use technology in neuroscience and how it applies in the larger realm of science. My hope is to provide children with the catalyst to pursue a love for science.
Email: amandafeng@arizona.edu
Hi everyone! I am Serena Yañez. I am a neuroscience major here at the University of Arizona, and pursuing a minor in Spanish. I aim to just gain experience and knowledge from my peers to explore more of my interests within this field of study, as I will later narrow down my goals that correspond eventually to my academic endeavors. Moreover, through the NEURON program and experiences in the lab, my peers and I aim to focus on making education of advanced science and neuroscience along with other opportunities in this field more accessible for the community.
Email: yanezs@arizona.edu
I am training in neurobiology/neurophysiology here at the University of Arizona. Along side these studies I am also pursuing a minor in emergency medical services. In the Ricoy lab my interests have been focused on developing research methods that can be employed for student outreach, allowing high school students to be able to become involved with more advanced science and expand their knowledge of neuroscience. In this endeavor I hope to provide high school students a head start in pursuing research in neuroscience and expand the horizons for our field of study. The vehicle we hope to deliver these ideas with is the NEURON Program. A student engagement curriculum that myself and others in the lab have worked on to optimize student engagement and benefit
Hello everyone! My name is Gabriella Mangano, and I am a freshman from Cincinnati, Ohio. I am majoring in neuroscience and cognitive science on a pre-health track. Additionally, I am hoping to minor in Italian and possibly pharmacology. As well as working with Neurophysiology of the clam (quahog) in the Ricoy lab, I am a part of the NEURON 2022 Project. In this position, I hope to serve as a mentor to other students interested in neuroscience and broaden scientific enthusiasm within our fascinating field!
Email: gmangano@arizona.edu
Hello everyone! I am Anna Park. I am currently a Neuroscience and Cognitive science major on the pre-health track at the University of Arizona. I also am pursuing a double major in East Asian Studies and a minor in biochemistry. Through the NEURON program, I hope to share my passion for science with younger students and be a part of making neuroscience more accessible and affordable. In the Ricoy lab, I aim to develop my research skills, collaborate with my fellow classmates, and explore my interests in neuroscience.
Email: annapark@arizona.edu
I am an Undergraduate student at the University of Arizona, majoring in the Neuroscience and Cognitive Science program. I am currently a part of The CLAM research project and the NEURON mentoring and outreach project. I plan to double major in Psychological Sciences along with the Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program. I have always been fascinated by the mind and behavior and its roots in physiology, making way for my interests in Neuropsychology and Neurophysiology. Through many such opportunities, I wish I can develop my research skills and my understanding of the brain and mind.
Email: revajoshi@arizona.edu
Hello! I am Ash Lopez. New York Times bestselling author with Lady Gaga. AnitaB.org Board of Trustees. Web Dev + SMC student who loves neuroscience,info sec, and SWE with a special interest in social good."
Twitter: @algorytmo
My name is Ulises and I use El/Him/His pronouns. I am the Faculty Director for NSCS. Understanding how neurons encode and compute information is fundamental to the study of the brain, but opportunities for hands-on experiences with such techniques on live neurons are rare in science education. For the past 15 years, I have used my formal training to explore low-cost and hands-on approaches (using invertebrates) in neuroscience to explore behavioral and physiological questions (learning and memory, locomotor activity, drug-seeking, drug reward) with undergraduates. Broadening access in Neuroscience to historically underserved populations via low cost approaches has been the vision of my past and current interests.
Email: ricoy@arizona.edu
UArizona Website: neurosci.arizona.edu/person/ulises-m-ricoy-phd
Lab Alumni
Bassil Ramadan, B.S. 2021 NSCS and currently PhD Biomedical Engineering at John's Hopkins University. Bassil is a 2021 graduate of UArizona Neuroscience and Cognitive Science with an emphasis of Biomedical Engineering. He served in several clubs as an officer including the Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Association of Students, Neuroscience Ambassadors, Biochemistry Club, and Nu Rho Psi Honorary.
Email: bar3@arizona.edu
Pranav Narnur, B.S. 2021 NSCS and currently NIH Post-Bacc in Neuroscience. Pranav's interests lie in broadening access to Neuroscience in the local community and increasing excitement in STEM among local students. Pranav's Honors thesis was on on developing spike-sorting software in Python to analyze cockroach sensory neuron action potentials. Pranav's hope is to become a physician scientist after completing his education.
Email: pnarnur@email.arizona.edu