"In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity."
-A.E.
My name is Carlo Giovanni Quintanilla. I am an undergraduate Biology/Psychology major at San Diego State University interested in understanding the molecular basis of nervous system structure and function. This interest has guided my educational experience and has lead to my involvement in basic scientific research. In June of 2012 I began work in the behavioral neurobiology laboratory of Dr. Susan Brasser. There I was trained in immunohistochemistry, behavioral assessment, and data analysis and participated on projects investigating the role of the insular cortex in mediating ingestive behavior of ethanol. In the summer of 2013, I interned at Boston University School of Medicine in Dr. Irina Zhdanova's sleep and circadian physiology lab studying circadian regulation of adult neurogenesis in zebrafish. With a refined interest in central nervous system development, I joined Dr. Ricardo Zayas' planarian regeneration and stem cell biology lab. Since joining the lab I have worked on projects investigating the role of transcription factors in central nervous system regeneration and function. I plan on continuing my education as a Ph.D. student in the field of molecular neuroscience. Other than my interest in science, I love to spend time with friends and family, hike, go to the cinema and snowboard when the season hits.