my favorite thing to study is itch and the basis of sensation. at the Dhaka Lab, they recently discovered an intended-painkiller compound that makes zebrafish stay near heated walls - a behavior that's deadly to them. as a research assistant, i have the opportunity to run assays that test the fishes' reaction to the drug and investigate why and how the drug is impacting the fish's nervous system. i'm really scared to start but i'm also so excited to be a member of Dr. Dhaka's research team on the somatosensory system! really,i'm willing to do whatever it takes to study this incredible topic because it has so much personal significance to me - one of my goals in life is to redefine chronic itch and pain treatment. this upcoming quarter, i will spend as much time as I can learning in the lab, and I can't wait to tell y'all what i've been up to next quarter.