Thoughts of a Grad Student in the Margolis Lab

Before applying to the neuroscience program here at Rutgers I completed a Master’s thesis at William Paterson University. My thesis work consisted of taking many images of microglial cells in the brain and to this end I had spent countless hours using one of my favorite tools in biology: a microscope. As a result, taking images of cells has become a passion of mine and I have no problem spending nights with my eyes glued to the lens of a microscope. Fortunately enough, as I was searching through the faculty page of the CBN department prior to applying to Rutgers I stumbled upon Dr.David Margolis and the short description of his research interest “ In vivo imaging of neural circuit plasticity.” In that moment I knew I had to try to rotate in his laboratory.
Continuing on to Dr.Margolis’s lab was a natural next step for me. His lab utilizes some of the most cutting edge tools and techniques in modern neuroscience. I still remember how this year I almost teared up the first time I saw in vivo imaging being used in front of me. Watching an animal perform a task and seeing their brain cells light up like fireworks was just an experience I won’t ever forget in my life. I have learned how to use viruses to target brain regions, cell types, and even manipulate cell activity. Using a combination of viruses we can design special strategies to explore the dynamics of neural circuits involved with sensorimotor integration. In fact the lab has recently published a paper using these techniques and is already set to publish several articles this year alone!
When I entered this rotation I believe Dr.Margolis recognized my interest and strengths immediately. He assigned me to a project that involved viral tracing of neural circuits, electrical recordings of single cells, confocal imaging, and even some computational work to create 3D constructions of the cells that I imaged. I saw this opportunity as an honor because I was able to work under one of the senior scientist in the lab, help lead a project, and learn techniques I had never learned before.
What was most notable about this lab was Dr.Margolis himself. I had spent a lot of time thinking about other rotations and which labs to commit too but I always found myself just never wanting to leave his lab. From the very start Dr.Margolis always treated me with respect. He is a very calm and relaxing person to talk to and I feel that it has signifcantly helped reduce my anxiety at times when things are not working in our experiments or when school may feel overwhelming. He is always open to new ideas and encouraged me to try new techniques we would read about and I feel that this has allowed me to truly explore my interest and find my place within his lab.
Overall, my second rotation could not have gone better and I intend to commit to his lab and produce great research.

-Branden Sanabria