UNews - Illinois

5 questions with . . . Dr. Aaron Gruber

trevor.kenney — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:04:30 +0000

Dr. Aaron Gruber received his PhD in biomedical engineering from Northwestern ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Chicago, Illinois, writing his dissertation on computational models of working memory and its modulation by dopamine. He joined the faculty at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge in 2009.

Gruber's laboratory investigates the neural basis of attention and decision making in complex environments, with a focus on how neuromodulators such as dopamine influence neural synchronization, information encoding, and learning in cortical and subcortical brain structures. One goal of this investigation is to better understand how subtle alterations of neural dynamics, such as that associated with psychiatric illness and psychoactive drugs, can lead to distractibility and poor decision-making.

Dr. Aaron Gruber eyes readings from neural activity in a test subject.

What first piqued your interest in your research discipline?

For as long as I can remember I have wondered why people often want things that they don't need or that ultimately lead to poor outcomes. This could be a third helping of ice cream, an expensive and impractical car, or a pack of cigarettes. Where do these desires come from and why are some people better able to resist such temptation?

When I later came to appreciate that all of our thoughts and actions are a result of patterned neural activity, and that we can observe and analyze this activity, I became hooked on neuroscience. During my graduate studies, I learned about the then-recent finding that the neuromodulator dopamine is critical for imparting 'wanting' and is critically implicated in drug addiction as well as some psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia. Ever since, I have been intrigued by how dopamine affects neural signaling, and how this influences decision-making. The field of neuroscience is presently very exciting, as we are rapidly accelerating our understanding of how thoughts emerge from dynamical interactions of neurons. Such understanding will open doors to unprecedented advances for the treatment of thought disorders, developing brain-machine interfaces (thought-controlled devices), and developing intelligent algorithms and synthetic systems. I find this extremely interesting, and am excited to be a part of it.

How is your research applicable in "the real world"?

Understanding the neural basis of decision making and the contribution of dopamine will likely lead to the development of better treatments for the very serious consequences that result from dysfunction of this brain process, such as obesity, addiction and schizophrenia. Furthermore, this research will support the development of future technology for interfacing with intelligent devices.

What is the greatest honour you have received in your career?

I am most satisfied when others acknowledge that my lab's work makes an impact. For instance, this occurs when other scientists use our work to guide their experiments or interpretations. One of my greatest honours, however, was a letter from a young teenager with a mental illness who thanked me for my research, and expressed hope that such work would help lead to the development of a cure within his lifetime.

How important are students to your research endeavours?

Both undergraduate and graduate students are essential to my research in a number of ways. First, they are an integral part of data collection, which requires a great deal of technical work. Second, many good students impart a fresh perspective by questioning the foundations on which the experiments rest. Third, the process of training students helps reveal limitations in my knowledge and requires that I maintain a big-picture view of my lab's activities so that I can provide rationale for each experiment without predication on a large body of literature unfamiliar to students. Lastly, many students bring energy, interest, and inquisitiveness to the lab that helps preserve the wonder in our work and fosters learning and discovery among the entire lab.

If you had unlimited funds, which areas of research would you invest?

I would establish a technology development centre that would facilitate utilization of contemporary technology in electronics, nanotech, and materials science for performing neuroscience research. Engineers could likely increase data collection by orders of magnitude by utilizing design and fabrication technology available within large electronics companies.

Increasing the amount of simultaneously recorded data will likely be an important development for discovering how networks of neurons in the brain process information, which is one of the fundamental questions in neuroscience.

Each month, the Legend will present 5 Questions With . . . one of our researchers. For a look at the entire catalog of 5 Questions With . . . features, check out the Office of Innovation and Research Services website at www.uleth.ca/research/research_profiles. If you'd like to be profiled, contact Penny Pickles at pickpj@uleth.ca

This story first appeared in the December 2011 issue of the Legend. If you'd like to see the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

5 questions with . . . Dr. Aaron Gruber

trevor.kenney — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 21:07:22 +0000

Dr. Aaron Gruber eyes readings from neural activity in a test subject.

What first piqued your interest in your research discipline?

How is your research applicable in "the real world"?

What is the greatest honour you have received in your career?

How important are students to your research endeavours?

If you had unlimited funds, which areas of research would you invest?

This story first appeared in the December 2011 issue of the Legend. If you'd like to see the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Hunt ready for Registrar's role

trevor.kenney — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 22:12:14 +0000

Don Hunt is no stranger to change, in fact he has embraced it his entire life. So, as Hunt takes over the role of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Registrar with an eye on moving the office forward, don't be surprised if a little bit of change is in the forecast.

"This is a young institution, everything is changing right now, there's a lot of turnover in some relatively senior positions so for me, this is the perfect opportunity to come in," says Hunt.

Most recently from Cleveland, Ohio, Hunt is from here, there and everywhere. Born in East St. Louis, Ill., he's lived in nine different U.S. states, a host of foreign countries and now Canada. Part of his wanderlust can be attributed to his eight-year career in the U.S. military but the majority is Hunt's innate desire to experience life and seek out new challenges.

Don Hunt is excited about the opportunities he sees as the new ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Registrar.

"Mostly it was just exploring, getting my feet wet and enjoying life," he says. "It's one of the reasons I was not afraid to jump the border and try something new by coming to Canada."

Hunt joined the military directly out of high school, seeking a means to get to college. He began a bachelor's degree in business administration while still serving, with a future goal of becoming an accountant. It became a lesson in patience and perseverance for Hunt as he continued to try and satisfy his degree requirements while taking classes at various colleges related to where he was stationed.

"It took me 18 years to get my first degree," says Hunt, who worked in the accounting field long before he had his accreditation. "Eventually I had gotten too far in the industry to go back and do a CPA program because I would have had to start again as an intern – and that just didn't make sense."

After transitioning to the technology side of the accounting business, Hunt started working for a tech company that designed software for accounting purposes. One arm of the business was to install and then service systems in higher educational settings, and after completing a master's degree in technology, Hunt jumped at the opportunity to work in higher education. His first look at the work of a registrar was an interim appointment at Cleveland State ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. Less than a year later he found a permanent home as deputy registrar at another Cleveland school, Case Western Reserve, and another career path was born.

"It was great to see what life was like on the other side of the fence," says Hunt. "I had always thought it would be nice to see a project through, rather than go in, implement a system and then move on to the next client. This time I actually had the opportunity to implement something and stay to see it through."

After four-plus years at Case Western, Hunt sought a head registrar's role and put no limits on his search parameters.

"In our industry, registrars are generally a terminal position. Because of what you need to be responsible for, the academic records of the institution, having that historical knowledge lends itself to people staying in that role," says Hunt. "Opportunities pop up and they won't be there for another 10 to 15 years so you really have to be ready to take on the opportunity wherever it presents itself. I didn't limit myself."

The U of L was one opportunity that emerged, along with positions in the UK and Australia.

"What sold me was the vision for the institution as both (Vice-President, Academic) Andy Hakin and (President) Mike Mahon laid it out," says Hunt. "The idea of where the institution wants to go as a whole, moving to a very customer-centred, destination university – all those things I could get behind."

He sees the Registrar's Office as an excellent opportunity for advancing those ideals.

"When you look at this operation, it's really in its infancy," says Hunt. "We are still manually driven where there is technology available that we already own. Let's put this technology in place and see how we can increase our self-service portfolio. Let's put in the tools to minimize the workload, not only for my staff, but also for faculty and students. Let's clear all the hoops they have to go through."

Hunt knows all too well what it's like to jump through hoops, and he's determined to use that experience to minimize that process for everyone else.

GET THE FACTS

· Hunt's highest rank in the military was corporal. He served in Germany, the U.S. and during both the Grenada and Honduras conflicts.

· A tennis enthusiast, Hunt is also looking to play squash and racquetball this winter and adds, "I'll even give curling a go, why not?"

· In addition to his bachelor's degree in business administration, he also has a master's degree in technology, both from ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Maryland ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ College.

· One of his first orders of business will be to reduce student traffic to the Registrar's Office. "That front counter gets way too much traffic, realistically, for today's times. Students expect self service 24/7, and so why not make it as available to them as possible?"

Wiszowaty to speak at Galileo's

trevor.kenney — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:24:59 +0000

There is no way to truly understand the hardships developing countries face than to immerse yourself in that situation. Robin Wiszowaty has done this and on Monday, Oct. 26, she will share these experiences with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

"Robin Wiszowaty has experienced things that U of L Students could learn a lot from," says Alex Massé, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union vice-president academic. "We're honoured to be hosting her lecture."

Wiszowaty, who was born and raised in Illinois, has devoted her life to helping others. She has done this by immersing herself into Maasai life, living in a small Maasai village in Kenya with an adoptive family in a hut. She spoke solely in Swahili, and was forced to confront issues like extreme poverty, drought, corruption and female circumcision.

Kenya is now home for this fearless young woman. She splits her time between her adoptive family in Kenya and her Toronto residence.

Wiszowaty is also an author and a motivational speaker, and she is serving as the Kenya Program Director for Free The Children in Kenya.

Wiszowaty has written a memoir that details her experiences and struggles while living in Kenya entitled My Maasai Life: From Suburbia to Savannah.

On Monday, Oct. 26 at 10 a.m. in Galileo's Lounge (SU234), she'll speak to students, staff, faculty and the general public about her trials and tribulations in a talk titled, My Maasai Life.

UNews - Illinois

5 questions with . . . Dr. Aaron Gruber

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5 questions with . . . Dr. Aaron Gruber

Related Topics

Hunt ready for Registrar's role

Related Topics

Wiszowaty to speak at Galileo's

Related Topics