With the generous support of Don and Joan Beall, UCI MIND and its trainee organization REMIND hosted the second annual and first-ever in-person Beall Scholar Program July 18-22 on the UCI campus.
The goal of the program is to inspire students who are typically underrepresented in STEM fields to pursue careers in brain research and geriatric medicine. Sixteen rising 12th graders were chosen from a very competitive pool of applicants from Santa Ana and Anaheim Unified School Districts. Fifty percent of the chosen scholars will be the first in their family to attend college.
The program included lectures from UCI MIND faculty and trainees on various aspects of neuroscience research and healthcare. The students also experienced lab tours, hands-on demonstrations and they participated in panel discussions on topics like STEM majors, careers in healthcare and undergraduate opportunities at UCI. The program provided transportation, meals and a stipend for all of the scholars who participated.
In addition to the week-long curriculum, students were also matched with a graduate student mentor from UCI who will work with them for the next year to prepare for college.
Dr. Elizabeth Head is giving a talk to the Beall Scholars on Alzheimer’s disease in people with Down syndrome.
A Beall Scholar is examining a human brain.
The 2022 Beall Scholar Program class with Drs. Joshua Grill and Megan Witbracht and graduate students and REMIND co-chairs, Michael Neel and Thuy Lu.
Postdoctoral fellow and REMIND co-chair, Dr. Vaisakh Puthusseryppady is fitting a scholar with the VR headset to teach her about his work spatial navigation and memory.
REMIND co-chair and Neurobiology and Behavior graduate student, Gema Olivarria is mentoring two Beall Scholars.
