After I graduated from college in May 2018, I traveled to the National Centre for Biological Sciences in India through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program so that I could explore neuroscience through the lens of ecology and evolution. India is known for its rich biodiversity, so it felt like the perfect place to return to my childhood fascination with insects and study how their brains help them survive. Specifically, I am investigating the brains of hoverflies, a type of pollinator (a creature that helps plants reproduce), to determine how they use visual and odor cues to identify and learn about flowers in diverse landscapes. Living in India is also giving me the opportunity to reconnect with my heritage and enjoy new experiences such as picking fresh mangoes straight from the tree and playing with iridescent jewel bugs, which my parents loved when they were children growing up in India. I, of course, brought my violin along with me to India so I can have the chance to share my music with my new Indian friends and, in turn, learn about their own musical traditions.
I returned to the U.S. in June 2019, and I am enrolled in a graduate program to study neuroscience and biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). I have encountered strange and wonderful creatures (along with their intriguingly complex brains), from cannibalistic praying mantids to giant bandicoot rats to deadly cobras, while growing up in the United States and during my time in India. I am now enchanted with the question of how it all began.
