Diana Salas became interested in neuroscience as a teenager, after a family member suffered a stroke at the age of 18.
“It made me wonder about the vulnerability of the brain,” she says, “so I came to IU as a neuroscience major.”
Salas excelled in her coursework, earning a place in the prestigious McNair Scholars Program, a national initiative to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are interested in attending graduate school. Part of the program entailed working with a mentor during the summer, so she set off in search of a faculty member with expertise in neurodegeneration.
“I was interested in how the triggers that cause our brains to change affect behavior and memory,” she says. “That’s what led me to the Lu Lab.”
Working with Gill Chair Hui-Chen Lu, Salas researched the protein NMNAT2, which is associated with maintenance of neurons and is reduced in Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, and Parkinson’s diseases. Using mouse models, Salas investigated both behavior and brain sections to draw associations between expression of the protein and memory.
Diana Salas - Former Student, Lu Lab
“Being in the Lu Lab meant being pushed,” she recalls. “We were like mini grad students, conducting and then presenting our research. It was nerve-racking but a great opportunity to learn how to communicate about science.”
Salas’ experience in the lab enabled her to take on a challenging neurophysiology position after graduation, working with a team of neurosurgeons to minimize the risk of nerve damage to patients during surgery. She is now pursuing a master’s degree in cellular and integrated physiology at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis and plans to attend medical school.
“My time in the Gill Center led to all these amazing opportunities,” she says. “I’m a better scientist because of it.”
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