Undergraduate Researcher Presents Work on Capitol Hill
"Fostering science communication skills in addition to technical skills is important so that students are prepared to write and talk about our work to people who come from all sorts of backgrounds – including the politicians who represent us, and taxpayers and foundations that support our research," said UA undergraduate researcher Alison Comrie.

By Chris Nordensson, UA Honors College
April 27, 2016

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Alison Comrie recently traveled to Washington, D.C., honored by the Council on Undergraduate Research. Comrie's travels were generously supported by the Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, the Undergraduate Biology Research Progra
Alison Comrie recently traveled to Washington, D.C., honored by the Council on Undergraduate Research. Comrie's travels were generously supported by the Undergraduate Program in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science, the Undergraduate Biology Research Program and the UA Honors College.


University of Arizona undergraduate researcher Alison Comrie, who investigates age-related changes in memory, recently traveled to Capitol Hill to share her research with members of Congress, congressional staff, federal government officials, academics and other researchers.  

Because of her work with her faculty mentor, Carol Barnes, a Regents' Professor with appointments in the Departments of Psychology, Neurology and Neuroscience, Comrie earned the honor of participating in the 20th annual Posters on the Hill event.  

The event includes a selective poster session and is sponsored by the Council on Undergraduate Research, based in Washington, D.C. It is an important opportunity for lawmakers to see how federal programs and dollars impact students and faculty, and to learn about the value of undergraduate research. 

Comrie's project, "Different monkey models of human cognitive aging exhibit disparities in learning and performance of memory tasks," was among several hundred highly competitive applications from undergraduate students from colleges and universities nationwide. Only 60 were ultimately selected for the showcase, including that of Comrie, an Honors College junior and neuroscience and cognitive science major.

"The annual Posters on the Hill event is an incredibly competitive process and a prestigious event," said Barnes, also director of the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute. "This was a unique opportunity to promote the importance of investing in research to our legislators." 

In Barnes' lab, Comrie is focused on the normal aging of the brain.  For the research she presented, Comrie focused on age-related changes in memory in different macaque species that are currently used as animal models of human memory and brain aging.  

"In order to understand what goes wrong in the diseased brain, like in cases of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease or dementia, we first need to establish how the brain and cognition change throughout the healthy aging process," Comrie said.

Comrie said the differences she and her team have found between the cognitive aging of two macaque species are important to consider in future work that aims to model human brain aging.

The most important component of the research is "understanding that the aging brain is not an organ of passive deterioration, but that it is capable of remarkable adaptation and creative capacity throughout life," Barnes also said.

In addition to presenting her research, Comrie met with five of Arizona's congressional offices while visiting Capitol Hill. She met with education aides and staffers from the offices of Congresswoman Martha McSally, Congressman Raúl Grijalva, Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick, Congressman Matt Salmon and Senator Jeff Flake. She also met with McSally and Grijalva in person.  

"This opportunity to take on an advocacy role and meet with five of our Arizona representatives' offices on Capitol Hill was unlike anything I have done before, so I'm grateful for the unique experience and all of the help I had along the way," Comrie said. "Interacting with those who make policy decisions about federally-funded research and education was eye-opening, and gave me a new appreciation for our legislative process." 

Comrie also took advantage of her time in Capitol Hill to talk about her undergraduate research experience in general.

"I hoped to communicate what a defining experience research has been for me, not just because it has enabled me to make contributions in neuroscience, but also because it has taught me about persistence, mentorship, teamwork, communication and taking initiative." 

Comrie is planning a new project for her honors thesis about how the activity of populations of neurons in a specific brain region changes in response to odors and how that might be altered with age, but her passions and career goals extend beyond neuroscience.

"Fostering science communication skills in addition to technical skills is important so that students are prepared to write and talk about our work to people who come from all sorts of backgrounds – including the politicians who represent us, and taxpayers and foundations that support our research. A frustration with this is what motivated me to apply for Posters on the Hill in the first place."

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Chris Nordensson

UA Honors College

520-621-8255

cnordi@email.arizona.edu