Mason Martin
Entered: Neuroscience Graduate Program NGP 2024
Mentor: Lin Tian, Ph.D.
Thesis Topic: TBD
B.S. Biomedical Sciences/Neuroscience, University of Central ³Ô¹ÏÍø, Orlando
"I am researching the development and application of genetically encoded glutamate sensors in the labs of Dr. Lin Tian and Dr. Randy Blakely. In the Tian lab, I am using techniques in molecular and cellular biology to optimize a glutamate sensor for in vivo applications. I aim to use this sensor in the Blakely lab to investigate glutamate dynamics between neurons and astrocytes in mice, and how clearance is disrupted in a diseased state.
I majored in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Central ³Ô¹ÏÍø, where I studied oxidative stress in neural progenitor cells. After graduating from UCF, I joined Dr. Matthew Disney’s lab as a postbaccalaureate fellow at The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute, where I investigated chemical probing of a structured RNA in the SARS-CoV-2 genome.
I was attracted to FAU because of the breadth of Neuroscience research areas including molecular, behavioral, and computational labs. During my rotation in the Blakely lab, I conducted metabolic assays in c. elegans to explore the interplay between neurons and glia. In the Toll lab, I applied confocal microscopy and mouse behavior analysis to study IL-1 and its role in pain. My rotation in the Tian lab built on my experience in molecular biology to optimize a genetically encoded glutamate sensor."