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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
New braking system for trucks could reduce accidents
A new braking system developed by a team of Cambridge engineers and industry experts could shorten trucks’ braking distances significantly and improve road safety. The team includes Gates alumnus Jonathan Miller, who presented the research findings at an open day at the Motor Industry Research Association in Nuneaton earlier in the year. Jonathan [2006], who […]
Gates alumnus appointed to UN agency working group
A Gates alumnus has been appointed coordinator of the working group of a UN agency which aims to make audiovisual media accessible to people with disabilities. Pradipta Biswas was appointed last month at a meeting in Geneva designed to make the UN act on accessibility to audiovisual material via modern electronic devices like digital television, […]
New Gates scholar features on university billboards
Scholar-elect Amy Zhang has had her picture posted on a billboard at Rutgers University to promote her Gates scholarship award. The billboard reads: “Rutgers scholars are among the brightest in the world. Meet one of this year’s highest achievers, scholar-athlete Amy Zhang, winner of a prestigious 2011 Gates Cambridge Scholarship”. Amy, who is a competitive […]
Small coral fish avoid predator dangers through smell
Young coral fish use their noses to detect predators and avoid making their homes in patches of the reef that they occupy, according to a new study co-authored by Gates scholar Alex Vail. The study, Metamorphosing reef fishes avoid predator scent when choosing a home, is authored by Alex and Mark McCormick, and was published […]
Jamila Haider
As a young child, Jamila Haider‘s parents took her to Afghanistan. Just over 20 years later she was back there working on natural resource management, looking at ways to embed ecological work in even the most violent of settings. Jamila’s parents travelled widely when she was young and she has followed their lead, having lived […]
Alumna sets up human trafficking blog
A Gates alumna has set up a blog on human trafficking to raise awareness about the problem. Wendi Adelson [2002], who studied for an MPhil in International Relations at Cambridge in 2002 with the support of a Gates scholarship, set up the blog around two months ago. She is currently a visiting clinical professor at […]
Gates Cambridge Scholars’ Distinguished Lecture – Mark Thomas, Director-General of the BBC
Mark Thompson, Director-General of the BBC, gives a public lecture on the future of broadcasting.
Dr Tachi Yamada to give public policy lecture
Dr Tachi Yamada, President of the Global Health Program of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is giving the ST Lee Public Policy Lecture today. Dr Yamada, who retires from the Presidency this month, will speak about ‘Innovation in Global Health Products and Delivery’. Dr Yamada leads the foundation’s efforts to help develop and deliver […]
Research shows links between work relationships and success
Do you know who your work friends are? That may not be a good thing, according to research by a Gates scholar. Instead, misperceptions may benefit people who navigate fluid professional networks. Mathieu Desruisseaux [2008] will outline his research on imaginary friends and social networks at a Gates Scholars internal symposium on Thursday. It focuses […]
Yang Hu
Twenty-three-year-old Yang Hu is a generation older than his cousin. The 15-year age gap has meant the two have been exposed to a very different upbringing due to the rapid changes in China over the last two decades. Yang’s parents put a lot of emphasis on school. Nowadays, he says, parents are keen not just […]
