Neuroscience - ULethbridge Stories

Shining Graduate Nicole Van Rootselaar

During her time at the University of Lethbridge, Nicole Van Rootselaar (PhD '24) focused her PhD studies on preschool children's neural organization and its effects on behaviour, speech and social competence.

Dr. Chelsea Ekstrand, Assistant Professor, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience

Dr. Chelsea Ekstrand joined ULethbridge in 2020 because of the infrastructure available in Science Commons and the opportunity to help build a world-class human neuroimaging program.

ULethbridge Alumna Jade Oldfield wins international chess award for research on executive function in at-risk youth

Every year, Chess.com selects five students to win a Chessable Research Award. As a corporation with over 100 million subscribers, to say the odds of being selected are one in a million would not be an oversight. Leaving nothing to chance, Jade Oldfield is now a 2024 Chessable Research Award winner.

Flightless bird study lands graduate student Sara Citron at the Smithsonian

Sara Citron, a PhD student in the University of Lethbridge's Department of Neuroscience, was selected as a Smithsonian Institution Ten-Week Graduate Student Fellow this summer.

Medal Winner Elisha Wong

Elisha Wong spent four years working in Dr. Robert Sutherland’s lab where she completed her undergraduate honours thesis on cognitive enrichment and Alzheimer’s disease pathology.

Shining Graduate Cameron Beazer

Cameron Beazer’s time at the University of Lethbridge has been marked by moments of revelation and mentorship, notably sparked by Dr. Louise Barrett, whose guidance ignited Cameron's passion for academic pursuits, culminating in a BSc with majors in neuroscience and psychology.

Shining Student Anja Gassner, Neuroscience major

While engaging in a summer independent study in Dr. Gibb's lab, Anja Gassner discovered the thrill of research, unlocking a passion that has reshaped her educational goals.

Shining Student Heath Petkau, Psychology major

Engaging in three co-op work terms and an applied study, Heath Petkau thrived in Dr. David Logue's Birdsong Lab where he excelled in the immersive nature of the research.

Shining Student Michael Veltri claims unique honour

Last year, neuroscience student Michael Veltri participated in a co-op work opportunity with the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. In the process, he became the first person at ULethbridge ever to study metabolite data from plant material via 1H NMR spectroscopy.

Shining Student Devanshi Sharma

Drawn to the University of Lethbridge by its outstanding neuroscience program and hands-on research opportunities, Devanshi Sharma initially aspired to attend medical school. However, through engaging in independent studies, she discovered her true passion for research.

Despite his many successes, Dr. Rob Sutherland says the value of failure shouldn’t be overlooked

The Sutherland team’s research has led to several breakthroughs which might some day help discover a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.

Shining Graduate Behroo Mirza Agha

From her very first class at the University of Lethbridge Dr. Behroo Mirza Agha (BSc '16, MSc '18, PhD '23) knew she made a great choice of study and post-secondary institution.

Ty Dudas finds the formula for success in the lab

Ty Dudas, a third-year neuroscience student at the University of Lethbridge, has truly embraced the institution's liberal education philosophy. While majoring in neuroscience, Ty's curiosity led him to explore other fields, particularly organic chemistry.

Faculty of Arts & Science Gold Medal (Science) winner Emily Hagens found her passion in synthetic biology

Emily Hagens (BSc '23) has an exciting future ahead of her. She plans to complete an MSc in genomic medicine at Oxford next year and then begin a PhD program in bioengineering at Stanford in 2024.

Shining Student Ty Dudas

Third-year neuroscience student Ty Dudas embraces ULethbridge’s liberal education philosophy and takes courses outside his major. This discovery led him to organic chemistry and research he hopes will be used to make new medicines and agrochemicals cheaper.

Jonathan Le May - Silver Medal of the Governor General

Shining Student Jonathan Le May wasted no time exploring research opportunities in the Department of Neuroscience once he arrived at ULethbridge. Little did he know how important rats would rank as part of this experience.

Cayley Fleischman

"I've always been curious, and science is a great way to foster and encourage that!"

Shining Student Jayne Asekhauno

Driven by a personal medical mystery, Shining Student Jayne Asekhauno is on the path to becoming a neurosurgeon.

Gaining hands-on research experience: Cayley Fleischman

Neuroscience and psychology student Cayley Fleischman spent her summer working on a great research initiative with Dr. Robin Gibb called Building Brains Together.

Gaining hands-on research experience: Erin Cantwell

Erin Cantwell spent her summer starting a new section of her research journey in Investigating the Potential Long-Term Neuroanatomical Consequences of Chronic High-CBD Cannabis Use.

Shining Student Julia Stroud

In diving headfirst into the world of research, Shining Student Julia Stroud decided to make herself uncomfortable to try something she had no predisposition to, and she's glad she did as her career path has been positively changed.

Shining Student Karina Almeida Villalba

A ULethbridge, Shining Student Karina Almeida Villalba overcame diversity and became the person she "always wanted to be,” thanks partly to unparalleled encouragement from her professors and a supportive environment.

Shining Student Emily Hagens

uLethbridge is the university for Shining Student Emily Hagens because it is big enough to offer students great opportunities but small enough to allow students to make the connections they need in order to take advantage of those opportunities.

Shining Student Sean Park

Shining Student Sean Park chose uLethbridge because of the atmosphere and sense of community on a smaller campus—it allowed him to pursue a quality education while building relationships with faculty and peers to get the most from his uLethbridge experience.

Oladipo Olatona - Pronghorn Track and Field

"I feel like being a Black athlete in a university sport is a great honour. I feel like to an extent we represent others who might not have had the opportunity to do the same things as me just because of the fact that they are Black."