Deans’ Summer Research Fellowship (DSRF) Story: Sanjana Kalagara

Sanjana was awarded the Deans' Summer Research Fellowship for summer 2025. Learn more about her time below.

Author: Sanjana Kalagara

What was your major research question for the DSRF project and where do you hope this project will go?

In my research project with the Kolls Lab, I investigated how anticonvulsants affect mice undergoing traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). To achieve this objective, I have employed a controlled brain injury model in mice this past summer, specifically using a surgical technique that induces a scaled traumatic brain injury. Following the injury induction, animals were randomly assigned to either a treatment group (receiving either Keppra or Dilantin) or a control group (receiving a placebo) and monitored for behavioral changes through Rotarod. Neurological function was also assessed using EEG. This upcoming semester, I plan on collecting tissue samples from the brain for histological analysis and analyzing EEG data collected to determine if information about injury severity present in the EEG signals is altered by the presence of an anticonvulsant.

What challenges did you encounter during your research and how did you work through these difficulties?

During my project, my team and I encountered challenges while collecting the post-surgical data. A handful of mice would die a few days after surgery, which prevented us from obtaining the whole scope of the data for those mice. However, we worked through this challenge by accounting for mortality and adding more mice to our sample size to obtain more data.

What sparked your interest in this field?

I first became interested in neuroscience and research on traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) after witnessing the long-term effects they had on both of my grandfathers. Seeing how their injuries impacted not only their memory and cognition but also their overall quality of life made me aware of the complex and devastating consequences of brain trauma. This personal experience sparked my curiosity about the mechanisms behind TBIs and motivated me to explore how neuroscience research could contribute to better diagnostics, treatments, and recovery strategies for patients facing similar challenges.

Curious about DSRF?

This project was made possible through the Deans’ Summer Research Fellowship (DSRF)—a unique opportunity for rising juniors and seniors in the Trinity College of Arts & Sciences to pursue funded summer research full-time!  

Effective this 2025-2026 Academic year, we are rebranding DSRF to be the Trinity Summer Undergraduate Mentored Research Fellowship (T-SUMR)! If you're pursuing graduation with distinction and are passionate about research, consider applying to T-SUMR in December of your Sophomore or Junior year.