"I ask a lot of questions. Of myself, of people aro..."

I ask a lot of questions. Of myself, of people around me, of Google. They can range from “How does meditation modulate pain perception?” to “What can we do about education inequality?” to “Why does my dog bark when I let the air out of a blood pressure cuff?”, encompassing the mundane, the unanswerable, and everything in between. I crave not just the answer, but the journey that leads me to it. Though the “journey” usually consists of a 4-second Google search, I relish when it doesn’t. As EMT’s, we’re told to embrace the unknown, an imperative in an unpredictable environment. With research, the unknown is a challenge, a welcome invitation to unravel the reasons behind natural phenomena. I’ve had the privilege to work in a neuroscience research lab the past two years, to be frustrated, awed, and humbled by what is left to discover about the brain.

In my time there, I’ve explored the mechanism of action for high frequency spinal cord stimulation, used electroencephalography to understand the analgesic effects of mindfulness meditation, and loved every minute of it. I’ve learned that research is a process of endless doubt, with one question inspiring twenty more. It is this infinite possibility that captivates me, so compels me to seek out opportunities where the unknown is actively sought out. With its countless undergraduate research opportunities, ties to the Rehab Neural Engineering Lab, and Dr. Seal’s work in actually pinpointing specific populations of neurons responsible for persistent pain, the University of Pittsburgh fosters such an environment. Should I be accepted, I can’t wait to dive in and do my small part in making just a little bit of the unknown, known.