I am currently working on a project that aims to develop methods of observing the beating rodent heart using two-photon excited fluorescence microscopy in vivo to achieve single-capillary resolution. By optimizing surgical and imaging techniques, we are able to induce clots or blockages in the microvasculature of the heart to model cardiac microinfarcts. Then, by gathering and analyzing data from these images, we can develop an understanding of the microvascular dynamics that are related to these conditions, and potentially others. We also aim to investigate the progression of excitation-contractility dysfunction in the heart using fluorescent calcium-reporting proteins. By investigating how microinfarcts caused by occlusions in the vasculature of the heart expand over time and cause contractile deficits in surrounding cells, we hope to provide avenues for future therapy in the clinical setting. I am an undergraduate majoring in Biological Sciences and Economics in the College of Arts and Sciences. I joined the Schaffer-Nishimura Lab during the spring of 2013, and I plan to graduate in May 2016. I am part of the Meinig Family Cornell National Scholars program.
