This year-long project consisted of independent research and laboratory work in the psychology department under Dr. Todd Peterson, who specializes in neuroscience research. 

I chose to research a chemical called perfluoro-2-methoxypropanoic acid (PFMOPrA) and evaluate the neuroinflammatory response and developmental impact of what it does to male mice brains. This chemical is prevalent in the drinking water system of Wilmington and I was curious to discover what ingestion during the critical development period could potentially do to the many humans, and UNCW students, who live in this area and consume the contaminated water daily.

This project was funded with help from Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Honor Society, and the Center for the Support of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships at UNCW. 

Note: The project was still underway during the time of the COVID-19 outbreak, so I was unable to complete some of the immunohistochemistry tests I initially planned on doing since I was almost immediately denied further laboratory access on campus. I was still able to obtain results and hope to continue the experiment throughout the summer of 2020 if the pandemic ceases.