YBDIC Student Profiles

Termara graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa with a B.S. in Biology from Howard University. For her honors thesis, she explored the neurophysiological consequences of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) on the fetal macaque brain under the direct supervision of Dr. Mark Burke. During her undergraduate summers, Termara conducted research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and used various neuroimaging techniques to study the morphological and functional differences between the brains of autistic and neurotypical individuals. She was also involved in a project in Dr. Eva Ratai’s laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital testing whether the balance of inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters is altered in the autistic brain. Currently, Termara is examining the neural mechanisms of social interaction in autistic individuals using functional near-infrared spectroscopy and eye-tracking.

Ph.D. student in Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry

Lauren earned a B.S. in Biology from Xavier University of Louisiana. She is a currently a Ph.D. student in the Genetics Department. She works in Dr. Stefania Nicoli's lab, and her research interests involve RNA localization and local translation in the cardiovascular system.

While studying at the University of Colorado Denver, I had the opportunity to work on a wide range of projects including studying the effect of smoking on tuberculosis diagnosis, executive function in Parkinson Disease and the neuroanatomy of volitional action.  After graduating with my Bachelor's of Science in Psychology, I spent time in industry using mycelial fermentation to develop sustainable food products.  This variety of experiences allowed me to confidently decide to study the human brain as a doctoral student at Yale.  My research interests include the neural correlates of consciousness, cross-brain coherence between dyads, and decision making.  I am a passionate advocate for diversity in higher education. I believe in promoting science-based political policy reform and am dedicated to leveraging science as a vehicle for social justice.