Natasha O.

Hello! My name is Natasha, I am in my third year of an Honours Biology Degree with a minor in Neuroscience and Mental Health. This is my second year of being a SSSC mentor and I am super excited to be part of the Kick-Start Into Science team. Last year I had the pleasure of coaching four students through their first year at Carleton, and this year my team and I will be running Science Accelerator workshops to help ease the transition to university for first-year students.

I am a Maritimer who loves travelling, making art, cooking and reading. Myself and a few other mentors are planning to paint a SSSC mural in the tunnels this summer. I'm in the process of setting up my own herb and vegetable garden at home and my family and I are touring Ireland and England in August. 

This summer I am working as an NSERC student in Dr. Hymie Anisman's lab, using a mouse model to look at how the gut microbiome may change due to pre-natal and social stressors. This is my second year of doing research - last summer I worked in Dr. Sue Bertram's lab studying cricket mating behaviours. Research is something I have become quite passionate about and I'm very fortunate to be able to experience it in both the fields of neuroscience and biology.

Being a mentor last year was an extremely rewarding experience and I am happy to help out anyone who needs it - stop by the SSSC any time!