Cellular and Developmental Neuroscience
Ball State University
Department of Biology
CURRENT LAB MEMBERS
Get to Know Us
DOUGLAS H. ROOSSIEN, PH.D.
Principal Investigator
Douglas received his B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology in 2009 from Grand Valley State University and his Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology from Michigan State University in 2014. He spent the subsequent 5 years as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan before starting his lab at Ball State University in August 2019.
Favorite Drosophila gene name: Hamlet (mutation affects the development of cells descended from IIB progenitor cells. “IIB or not IIB”).
Favorite taco meat: al pastor
JURI LIM
Research Technician
Juri joined the lab in May 2023 after graduating from Taylor University. Juri is developing ground-truth tracing results for automated Brainbow tracing algorithms.
PEYTON YORK
Ph.D. Student
Peyton is a is working on a collaborative project together with Dr. Ashley Kalinski here in the Ball State Biology Department. Peyton is styding recruitment of macrophages in Drosophila injury models. Peyton is also the Assistant Coach of the Ball State soccer team!
Favorite Drosophila gene name: smt3
Favorite taco meat: steak and chorizo
HAYDEN SCHNEIDER
Graduate Student
Hayden joined the lab as a M.S. student in August 2022 and is currently working on validating new transgenic mutants produced for the lab. These will be used to ask how these mutations cause defects in serotonergic circuits.
Favorite Drosophila gene name: catsup (catecholamines up)
Favorite taco meat: steak
AVA KINSER
Graduate Student
Ava joined the lab as an undergraduate in January 2023 and remained in the lab to conduct her Master's Thesis research. Ava is using live cell imaging of serotonergic axons to understand the intracellular mechanisms of serotonin autoregulation.
Favorite Drosophioa gene name: Jelly Belly
Favorite taco meat: Birria
LUKE BREWER
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Luke joined the lab in August 2021. Luke's first project was testing the role of serotonin receptors in autoregulation of serotonergic axon outgrowth. Currently Luke is trying to determine the developmental pattern of serotonin autoreceptor expression during development.
Favorite Drosophila gene name: Bazooka
Favorite taco meat: carne asada
ABBY WELLING
Undergraduate Research Student
Abby joined the lab in January 2022. Since then, she has contributed to neuron morphology analyses and jump-started our larval vision-based behavioral assays. Currently Abby is working to understand the role of serotonylation during serotonergic axon outgrowth.
Favorite Drosophila gene name: Van Gogh
Favorite taco meat: barbacoa
BREANNA LONG
Undergraduate Research Student
Breanna joined the lab as part of the Teacher-Scholar Program in Spring 2023. Breanna is currently working on vision-based behavioral assays in larvae.
Favorite Drosophila gene name: Swiss cheese
Favorite taco meat: chicken
MATTHEW CRAIG
Undergraduate Research Student
Matthew joined the lab in Fall 2022 as part of the Teacher-Scholar Program and is continuing in the lab with testing the role of serotonin receptors in autoregulation of serotonergic axon outgrowth.
ALLIE BRANNON
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Allie joined the lab in January 2023. She has been using qRT-PCR to validate novel transgenic lines and is conducting vision-based behavioral assays in Drosophila larvae.
Favorite Drosophila gene name: Dachshund
Favorite taco meat: chicken street tacos
WILL DUGAN
Undergraduate Research Student
Will joined the lab in January 2023 and is working on optimizing protocols for administering drugs to first instart larvae.
KEN'NISHA PATTON
LSAMP Reserach Student
Ken'Nisha joined the lab in Summer 2023 as a participant in the IN LSAMP program for summer research. Ken'Nisha is testing how manipulations in serotonin levels during development impact anatomy and physiology of Drosophila larvae.
LAB ALUMNI
ALLI STUDENMUND
Undergraduate Research Student
Alli graduated in December 2022 and will be attending DO school starting Fall 2023.
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DELANEY LONG, M.S.
Graduate Student
Delaney graduated in May 2022, and was the first to complete a Master's Thesis in the Roossien Lab! Delaney currently works at Eli Lilly in Indianapolis.
DAYLE MATHENY
Undergraduate Honors Research Student
Dayle graduated in May 2022 and wrote an Honors Thesis titles "Exogenous serotonin increases intracellular serotonin in Drosophila serotonergic neurons in vitro". Dayle currently works as a Research Technician at the University of Michigan.
ALEXANDRA DOERNER
Undergraduate Research Student
Alex completed her work in the lab in Fall 2021 after making fundamental contributions to our nCorrect tracing algorithm.
ZAHNEE BADGLEY
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Zahnee graduated in July 2021 and is currently attending PA school at Trine University.
VANESSA MILLER
Undergraduate Honors Research Student
Vanessa graduated in May 2021 and completed her Honors Thesis in the Roossien Lab titled "Non-Genetic Manipulation of Serotonin in Central Nervous System of Drosophila Melanogaster through Ingestion of 5HTP-Containing Food". Vanessa is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in the lab of Dr. Kendal Broadie at Vanderbilt University.
KELLIE GEISEL
Visiting Research Student
Kellie was a visiting student from Yale University supported by their Domestic Summer Award and continued working in the lab through January 2021. During her time, Kellie established multiple Drosophila behavioral assays for the lab. Kellie is currently continuing her studies at Yale.
