Michael W.

Michael obtained a B.Sc. degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2014. Double majoring in neuroscience & philosophy, he had the unique opportunity to research and work in a variety of different laboratories. Having exposure to handling exotic animals, he was able to gain an internship at the Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium where he assisted zoo staff with the care and upkeep of animals (specifically orangutans, gorillas, and other nonhuman primates) in the zoo's captivity. After this internship, Michael entered the veterinary industry as a lab technician in an adjuvant laboratory and virus production laboratory, gaining insights of the manufacturing process of vaccines. Michael has also worked in healthcare fields assisting individuals with dementia/Alzheimer's disease, intellectual impairments, autism, etc. and also has experience in the technology sector through contracted work and being assigned at a Google datacenter doing computer repairs and network security. Furthermore, Michael has a passion for music and how music can be utilized as a treatment for cognitive ailments. By combining all of these skills and experiences, he is now attempting to build a music studio/neuroscience lab hybrid; Syndicate of Sound & Synapse. At the intersection of neuroscience and music, Michael lends his musical capabilities as well as his expertise in research and design. By utilizing music as a neuromodulator, Michael takes a behavioral & theoretical neuroscientific approach to better understand the root causes of stereotyping behavior in both animal and human populations in confinement, especially in those suffering from neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders. He also hopes to increase the betterment of animal welfare in captive nonhuman primate populations as well sheltered animals through his research. Michael is currently working on building a computational model of the BDNF signal transduction pathway using cellcollective.org