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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
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What does Twitter tell us about global happiness?
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Seminar to address how to have an ethical career
Four Gates alumni who have found ways to combine their work with their passion for “making a difference” will discuss how to find a socially conscious job at a virtual seminar next week. The seminar is the first in a series organised by the Gates Scholars Alumni Association. It takes place on 29th January at […]
Gates alumnus launches climate change photo project
A photo project promoting individuals who act as role models in the fight against climate change has been co-founded by a Gates alumnus. Climate Heroes was founded by two photographers, Stéphane Parnis and Gates alumnus Maxime Riché. It aims to highlight the work of outstanding individuals who can act as “inspirational models”. It seeks to: […]
