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Benjamin Cocanougher
- Alumni
- United States
- 2016 PhD Zoology
- St Catharine's College
I grew up catching praying mantises and damselflies in rural Kentucky. As an undergraduate at Centre College, I majored in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; I spent my summers taking care of sick children at the Center for Courageous Kids and doing research in organic chemistry and neuroscience. I matriculated directly to the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and completed my first three years of medical school. I then moved to Janelia Research Campus as a HHMI Medical Research Fellow; there I studied the neural and genetic bases of behavior. As a PhD student in Zoology, I will study adaptive behavior. All animals integrate information about past experience into future decisions; this is the basis of learning and memory. I am proposing to write a specific memory and read the memory trace in the brain. I will use the fruit fly as a model organism. By understanding mechanisms of memory storage, we can begin to investigate changes in memory formation in disease; this may allow us to develop rational therapies for disorders of memory formation, including autism and Alzheimer’s disease. After completing my PhD, I will return to finish my last year of medical school and pursue a career as a child neurologist and neuroscientist, using my lab to better understand the patients I see in clinic.
Previous Education
Centre College
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Latest News
Memory like a fish?
Heard the one about the goldfish with the short memory? It is a commonly held belief that fish are the polar opposites to elephants. They always forget. Alex Vail [2010] is, however, providing evidence this is not the case. He has observed that fish remember people, and is conducting field and aquaria research to show […]
Matt Varilek stands for election to Congress
Gates alumnus Matt Varilek has just announced that he is running for election to the US House of Representatives. Matt is running on a Democrat ticket against Republican Kristi Noem in the 2012 race for South Dakota’s US seat. He released an online video this week and says he has been thinking about standing since […]
Why did all the money go?
Michael Marin is well aware his life could have taken a very different path. Brought up by a single mother who was working around the clock to pay the bills, he fell far behind in his reading by the age of 10. His teacher hadn’t noticed and initially thought he must have a learning difficulty. […]
Gates scholar appears on leading current affairs programme
Gates scholar Michael Marin appeared on Canada’s leading current affairs programme this week to debate the link between the knowledge economy and rising inequality. Marin [2011] appeared yesterday on The Agenda with Steve Paikin. His research at Cambridge, where he is doing an LLM in Law, is looking at ways to explain why the corporate […]
Adapting to extreme climate change
How do human populations adapt to extreme climate change? It’s an urgent question in the current age where we are warned almost daily of evidence of environmental transition. One answer is to look at ancient civilisations who have undergone similar change. That is what Suzanne Pilaar Birch [2008] is doing and her research on the […]
Investigating wrongful convictions
Why are some people wrongfully convicted of crimes and can the criminal justice system be improved to prevent innocent people being locked away? Gates scholar Bill Schmidt [2009] believes his research could help pinpoint particular risk factors for wrongful convictions and so reduce their number. He says most of the research on wrongful convictions is […]
Gates alumna is woman to watch
Gates alumna Noa Epstein has won a prestigious award celebrating the stars of tomorrow. Noa was named MBA Star of the Year at the Women of the Future Awards 2011 in a gala event in London on 16 November. The awards were created to unearth and recognise the stars of tomorrow across diverse industries, to celebrate high-achieving women aged […]
Understanding the history of emotions
Danelle van Zyl-Hermann [2010] is fascinated by the history of emotion and its links with identity politics. Growing up in South Africa with an unusual family background, she always felt both part of her community and an outsider, which makes her a good observer and interrogator of how certain group identities have been established there. […]
Alumna publishes book on human trafficking
A Gates alumna has published a book on human trafficking which she hopes will bring greater understanding of its human cost. Wendi Adelson‘s book This is Our Story was published last month. Wendi [2002], who studied for an MPhil in International Relations at the University of Cambridge, is a visiting clinical professor at Florida State […]
November webinar for international applicants
Gates alumni and the Gates Cambridge Trust will be holding a webinar in November for US applicants on how to apply for a scholarship. The US Application webinar will be held on 16th November at 20.30 [8.30pm] GMT. Trivi Arun, Co-Chair of the Gates Scholars Alumni Association, Daniel DiCenso, GSAA Director of Communications and Kirsty […]
