Hello!!!

My name is Ben and I am in the Applied Bioengineering masters program! I received my undergrad in molecular and cellular neuroscience from Texas A&M University where I also worked in a lab studying the neurocircuitry of alcohol addiction.

I am recently engaged to my best friend, Julie, and we will be enduring long distance for the next semester as she finishes up her degree at Texas A&M, where we originally met.

I am assisting at Baylor College of Medicine in Dr. Andreas Tolias’ lab where we are working at the intersection of experimental and computational neuroscience. On the experimental side, we are studying the primary visual cortex, utilizing a procedure that the lab invented called Patch-Seq to help categorize neuronal cell types and map their local connectivity.

On a very different note, I recently decided to make beer and have since then been trying different recipes to get the flavor I personally like. I have now made several batches of amber ales and have begun trying to make hard seltzers as well. I like darker beers more so I am also planning to make some stout batches! Each batch yields about 50 twelve ounce bottles worth, more than enough to share with friends!

I would love to make a light weight electric long board to ride around campus. As far as a future career, I want to be involved in making any medical devices that interface with the nervous system (ie deep brain stimulation, neuroprosthetics, estim pain modulation, TMS, etc). In this class, I am eager to learn how to use the laser cutters and 3D printers.

I am very excited to meet everyone and am looking forward to a great semester of learning!