NSCS's 2019 Outstanding Senior

Gayatri Sadachar has been a household name in the NSCS community over the past 4 years. She originally entered the program as a Flinn Scholar and an honors student, and she went on to be heavily involved in virtually every capacity NSCS has to offer, (and then some). For example, as an NSCS Ambassador, she served as chair of the retreat committee, where she organized a professional development and networking event for NSCS underclassman. She also served as Vice President for the Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Association of Students (NSCSAS), where she collaborated with a local Parkinson's Wellness Recovery Gym and introduced NSCS students to the innovative neurofitness treatments for Parkinson's Disease taking place there. She even served as a preceptor, or student aid, for NSCS's Cellular Neurophysiology course while also participating in two research projects with Dr. Carol A Barnes and Dr. Daniela Zarnescu. These research projects were about exploring memory as it relates to aging using rat models, and about exploring the neurodegenerative effects of ALS and similar disorders using Drosophila models, respectively. Needless to say, Gayatri has been an activist on so many fronts, and she has truly contributed to bettering the NSCS program, the University of Arizona, and Tucson's local community at large. She was the clear choice for this year's Outstanding Senior Award, and we could not be more proud of her. Congratulations Gayatri, and thank you for your lasting contributions to our program and community!