Madeleine Gomez-Martinez

“This [program] made me more passionate about doing research.”

Madeleine Martinez is a Senn high school student that worked in Dr. Steidl’s lab during the summer ETHOS program. Along with her lab partner Riky Herrera, Martinez used mouse and rat models to measure dopamine levels in different parts of the brain and the effect of drug usage on said dopamine levels. 

Martinez said a challenge she faced during her time in the lab was watching the surgeries, as she has a phobia of blood. “Watching surgeries has helped me — kind of like exposure therapy — get used to seeing blood,” Martinez said. She also said handling the mice was difficult because they tend to be skittish, but it got easier and she gained confidence with time and practice.

Despite her fear of blood, one of Martinez’ favorite experiences in the lab was helping her mentor with post-operation surgery on the mice. She said she enjoyed helping them through the healing process. Another aspect of the lab that Martinez favored was weaning, which is when they would separate the male mice from the female mice. “[Weaning] is so much fun, but also really challenging,” Martinez said. 

As she enters her senior year at Senn high school, Martinez said she has been exploring different career options. “I didn’t know much about how research actually played out, but being here has shown me how research works on a day to day basis,” Martinez said. “This [program] made me more passionate about doing research.” After graduation, Martinez plans to further her education at a university — majoring in education with hopes to become an elementary school science teacher.