Tsitsi Zana ’24 completed undergraduate research in neuroscience, investigating neuronal cell death in a Huntington’s cell model. Tsitsi joined Robert W. & Eleanor H. Biggs Professor of Neuroscience Gunnar Kwakye’s lab beginning in 2021, which uses a cell model to investigate the role of the environment in combination with genetic factors in the progression of neurodegenerative disorders. Tsitsi then continued work with Professor Kwakye, and participated in the 2023 Oberlin Summer Research Institute (OSRI). Tsitsi says that this work will "suggest potential therapeutic targets to combat chlorpyrifos induced neurodegeneration in Huntington’s Disease patients." Chlorpyrifos is a chemical often found in pesticides, and is used in agricultural, industrial and domestic settings. "Establishing its neurotoxicity will also help to educate at-risk demographic groups who are persistently exposed to chlorpyrifos and advocate for policies requiring use of safer pesticides and tighter restrictions...