Jashui Zarate Torres, a rising sophomore at Dominican University, is wrapping up a summer of conducting studies in learning and memory as the recipient of the 2022 Moskal Scholar Award for neuroscience research.
The Moskal Scholars program provides funding to neuroscience students involved in summer research projects, and Torres has been contributing to ongoing student research on memory using sea slugs in the Slug Lab.
Torres is the third student to receive the Moskal Scholar Award. Previous recipients were Tania Rosiles, who is now an ICU nurse, and Annette Garcia, who is currently earning a degree in school psychology.
Torres was selected for the award based on her outstanding performance in her Introduction to Neuroscience course and her interest in pursuing the study of neuroscience in preparation for a career in health care, said Robert Calin-Jageman, neuroscience program director.
Students qualify by applying to the summer research scholars program through Undergraduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Investigations (URSCI). The Moskal Scholar is chosen from among the applicants who identify neuroscience as their area of interest.
The Moskal Scholars program is funded by Dr. Joe Moskal, a member of the Dominican University Board of Trustees, a professor of biomedical engineering and neurological surgery at Northwestern University, and founder of a biotech company.