Neuroscience research provides new opportunities for Centre students

For Assistant Professor of Neuroscience Genevieve Bell, teaching and working with passionate Centre students reaffirms her love for the field. 

“I think the brain is so cool. I get to research it and talk about it with students in different aspects in different courses all day,” Bell said. “We all have experienced neuroscience in our life. It’s making it relatable to everyone, and I love doing that.”

She’s fostering a similar interest for neuroscience by helping students access valuable, hands-on research experience outside the classroom — something she notes is a key aspect of the Centre experience.

“At many large schools you don’t really get that real, true experience in student research,” Bell said. “Coming to Centre, students do get that hands-on experience.”

Her most recent research topic focuses on the effect artificial sweeteners have on fruit flies. To support this project, Bell received a Student Developmental Research Award from KY INBRE, which funds student work in the lab and helps prepare her for pursuing graduate study after Centre.

The research grew out of a question first explored by Centre graduate Sudeep Gadde ’25, who developed the project in collaboration with Bell, exploring possible links between anxiety and artificial sweetener. Bell has experience working with fruit flies, and the two worked together to test the possibility of further experimentation.

While Gadde graduated before the project could develop fully, his early work laid the foundation for a longer-term study and his own career goals. Today, Gadde is a first-year student at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. 

Remy Bao and Madalyn Irwin, both class of 2027, have taken up the research question and continue to work with Bell on developing new hypotheses and experiments.

“I like being able to spark students’ interests,” Bell said. “A lot of times, really good ideas come from undergrads, and then I get to help them develop those projects further and further. It’s rewarding to see them have this kernel of an idea that can then flourish.”

Bao and Irwin will have the opportunity to attend regional and national conferences with Bell. Bao will present their research and findings, gaining experience sharing results with a broader scientific audience. Bell hopes to secure another grant to help fund Irwin’s travel and involvement. 

“It puts them in a position to get exposure and presentation experience at these conferences,” Bell explained. “They’re going to have the chance to talk to big names in the field and bounce ideas around. It’s a wonderful opportunity that I never had as an undergraduate student.”

Bao and Irwin are not the only students Bell has mentored in research. 

Last year, Bell also worked with Sol Cabrera ’25 and Rebecca Fakunle ’25 on a separate research project. Fakunle and Bell represented Centre at the national Drosophila Research Conference and received travel awards through the Genetic Society of America, reflecting Bell’s commitment to building collaborative research experiences that place students at the center of the work.

 “The students are leading the majority of the research,” Bell said. “They develop a great understanding of what it takes to come up with a hypothesis, test it out, see failure, bounce back and retest again. This way, they’re much more prepared for graduate or medical school.”