Travel Award Winner Marta Fernández
Marta Fernández is a Ph.D student working in Olga Peñagarikano's Lab at the University of the Basque Country, Spain. They are interested in understanding the neural circuits and molecular mechanisms that modulate social behavior and how dysfunction in these circuits leads to neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism. The award will help to fund her trip to SfN's 48th annual meeting in San Diego.
Thanks Hello Bio for your support! As a PhD student, I believe that data divulgation and attendance to scientific meetings are fundamental parts in the formation of junior researchers.This award is a great help for me. SfN is by far the best international meeting on neuroscience and it provides an ideal environment for interacting with peer students working on similar subjects, and to meet personally the most relevant personalities in my field. Marta Fernández, University of the Basque Country, Spain, Hello Bio travel award winner
Congratulations Marta. First, can you tell us a bit more about what you're working on at the moment?
During my PhD I am working with a mouse model of Autism. Our current research tries to understand neural circuits and molecular mechanisms that modulate social behavior and how dysfunction in these circuits leads to neuropsychiatric disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
What is it about your field of research that gets you most excited?
No doubt, the possibility to find a possible treatment for social and communicative deficits. It would be a great achievement to get a better life for ASD’s patients.
Which scientists working today do you most admire, and why?
Nowadays, science progresses very fast, every day we see new discoveries so it is easy to have scientific “idols”, but even in these days women all around the world find more difficulties in developing a scientific career than men. So I really feel fascination for those women who, fighting against handicaps, achieve their goals.
What do you think are the biggest challenges currently facing life scientists and their work?
Scientific life is not always easy. Usually our “time working” continues at home and even follow you into your vacation. It is difficult to get a balance between job and personal life.
What’s your favourite science quote?
The good thing about science is that it’s true whether or not you believe in it. – Neil deGrasse Tyson
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Thank you Marta - we hope you have a great SfN meeting, and don't forget to stop by and say hi to the Hello Bio team!
Click here to read about our past winners or why not apply for the grant yourself?
