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Neuroscience and Society

Contributors

Bora Cecia

Bora Cecia is a multimedia journalism major at Loyola University Chicago’s School of Communication. She is a student journalist for the School of Communication’s website and YouTube channel. She contributes to the Loyola Program for Neuroscience and Society as an editor and proofreader for all published articles. She is passionate about bridging the gap between journalism and science writing by producing and editing audience-centric stories.

Tanush Chintala

Tanush is a Computer Science student at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He has a keen interest in the cross-disciplinary impact of technology --- particularly how it interacts with the medical landscape. Tanush is proficient in full-stack development and Machine Learning, which he applies to his technical explorations. Outside of his studies, he enjoys watching basketball and going on runs.

Sanjana Kavula

Sanjana Kavula is a sophomore at Rice University studying neuroscience and social policy. She is interested in exploring themes in health policy, medical disparities and mental health access and hopes to become a physician advocate in the future.

Sophia Martinez

Sophia Martinez is a junior at the University of South Florida majoring in biomedical sciences. She enjoys reading and communicating trends in neuroscience research, with a focus on dementia. Her experience as a caregiver for seniors with Alzheimer's disease inspired her commitment to public health advocacy for patients and their families affected by dementia. She hopes to continue volunteering, writing and pursuing research in the field to improve scientific understanding of dementia and patient care.

Hunter Minné

Hunter Minné is a senior studying journalism and political science at Loyola. Hunter spent his first three years at Loyola working for the university's student newspaper, The Loyola Phoenix, and spent two of those years as Deputy News Editor. Beyond traditional journalism, Hunter has worked as a freelance copywriter, writing tutor, nonprofit photographer & writer and even tour guide. In his minimal free time, Hunter enjoys rewatching his favorite TV shows, reads new books or thrifts old clothes.

Abigail Nacker

Abigail Nacker is a rising senior studying Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience at Loyola University Chicago. Her free time is spent reading and pursuing art. Abigail chose a degree in neuroscience because of her passion for helping others in ways they cannot help themselves. The unlocked potential of our brains continues to inspire Abigail daily through her art, education, and career. She has been an advocate for mental health and chronic illnesses for many years and hopes to continue this advocacy through informative and enticing hot topic journalism. 

Marisa Panella

Marisa Panella is a senior studying multimedia journalism and English. In her free time, she writes for the Loyola Phoenix and enjoys content creation and reading. She is a passionate writer who has thoroughly enjoyed branching into neuroscience. Marisa hopes to be a writer after she graduates in whatever capacity that may be.

Connor Retana

Connor Retana is a dedicated student at Loyola University, majoring in psychology with a minor in philosophy. He is passionate about reading research, skating, performing improv, and cooking. His love for reading is rooted in the connection it fosters—particularly when discovering work by others who share his enthusiasm for niche topics. Connor is especially interested in exploring the intersection of neuroscience and communication, driven by a desire to understand how these fields converge to enhance human connection.

Adeline Sauer

Adeline Sauer is a junior at Loyola University Chicago majoring in psychology with a minor in psychology of crime and justice. She enjoys writing about research, specifically within social, criminal and behavioral contexts. While taking neuroscience courses for her major, Sauer developed an interest in learning more about how neuroscience can apply to psychology.

Harper Schupbach

Harper Schupbach is a sophomore at Duke University studying political science and chemistry on a pre-med track. She is committed to tackling the intersection of politics, communication and medicine in her studies and career. She gets lost in books, lights up at the chance to public speak and often becomes engrossed in long philosophical discussions with friends.

Hannah Srinivasan

Hannah Srinivasan is a senior at Loyola University Chicago, majoring in molecular and cellular Neuroscience with a minor in bioethics. Srinivasan is a pre-medicine student with a goal of becoming a neurologist. This opportunity sparked her interest as she loves the intersect of neuroscience and ethics and hopes to shed light on modern neuroethical topics.

Ian Steckler

Ian Steckler is majoring in molecular and cellular neuroscience and minoring in philosophy and biostatistics at Loyola University Chicago. He was inspired to pivot towards working in medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic. At Loyola, he has been a part of the research team in Dr. Yanan Chen’s lab for nearly two years, focusing on understanding demyelination in the CNS and multiple sclerosis disease progression using mouse models. Outside of school, he works as an EMT transporting patients throughout Chicagoland and as a home health care aide for people with disabilities, where he sees the importance of the research and theory from the classroom firsthand with his own patients. He plans to apply to Physician Associate schools shortly after graduating and build a career in EMS or public health.

Adhira Tippur

Adhira Tippur is a student at Rice University studying Biosciences & Finance. She is interested in computational drug discovery and understanding the financial decisions behind pharmaceutical development.

Gayathri Vanka

Gayathri Vanka is a sophomore at Duke University studying biomedical engineering and documentary studies. She is passionate about advocacy through storytelling in medicine and research, and hopes to bridge her interdisciplinary interests to make health more accessible.

Michelle Zheng

Michelle Zheng is a recent graduate from the University of California, Irvine where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences. At UC Irvine, she pursued her personal and professional interests through her involvements in laboratory and clinical research, mental health advocacy, the neuroscience honor society and volunteering in a diversity of settings. She is highly engaged in neuroscience outreach and education and aims to increase accessibility to the sciences. Passionate about health and addressing health disparities, Michelle hopes to attend medical school in the future.

Dawnbe Yu

Dawnbe Yu is a junior at Loyola University Chicago. She is majoring in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience and Psychology and minoring in Philosophy with hopes of pursuing clinical psychology. In her free time, she loves thrifting, curating playlists, and reading.