Senior Shalvarjian puts her mind to studying neuroscience in the lab

By Lizzy Tsuang
Circulation Editor

Costa senior Katie Shalvarjian is all about the brain whether she’s in class or not.

Shalvarjian spends about six hours a week at the University of Southern California’s Imaging Genetics Center where she researches neurodegeneration, a range of conditions that primarily affect the neurons in the human brain, through the application of computer technology.

“What is great is that working in the lab does not really fill the science research stereotype,” Shalvarjian said. “Everyone is as creative as they are intelligent and really welcoming and helpful as well. For me, this is really exciting because research is something that I want to pursue outside of school.”

Shalvarjian composes papers that address an issue and outline a procedure. Then the lab conducts an experiment. Since she began her internship last June, she has worked on two projects focusing on Alzheimer’s, a disease that causes memory loss.

“I chose Alzheimer’s research because despite the studies we have, there is still so much that is unknown about it,” Shalvarjian said. “It is exciting because a lot of interesting developments are being made right now, and there has already been a lot of progress in the field.”

Shalvarjian’s current project is on the development of different types of brain matter that can be used as biomarkers for Alzheimer’s. Shalvarjian works with her five lab members and is currently preparing their work for publication and presentation.

“This paper is really unique because we used a program developed by one of the lab members that I work with,” Shalvarjian said. “When we present our paper to different groups, it’s always really fulfilling to feel like you’ve been a part of something, especially because of all the time it takes to put it together.”

Shalvarjian has always been interested in the dynamics of the brain. When she was young, Shalvarjian found and read a book about brain surgery and has been intrigued ever since.

“At the time, I didn’t really understand what brain surgery meant or was,” Shalvarjian said. “Since then, I’ve been really interested by the fact that for as much as we know about how the brain functions, there’s so much more that we don’t know about it.”

According to Shalvarjian, the most fascinating part of her work is the lab environment itself, as she enjoys the unique opportunities it offers for continuous learning and exploration. In her projects, she primarily works with professionals and undergraduate students of the biomedical engineering field who have continued to inspire her passions.

“It’s really neat that Katie finds ways to apply science to other aspects of her life,” science teacher Dan Bartlett said. “I love to hear good things about what she does outside of school.”

Working at IGC has helped Shalvarjian gain a deeper knowledge of engineering and neuroscience that is not available in standard high school classrooms. She also has the opportunity to collaborate with people who share the same academic interests.

“Being exposed to the people has been great because it has helped me figure out what I’d like to pursue in an academic environment,” Shalvarjian said. “The professors and researchers have actually opened my eyes to new and developing forms of research that have helped me better understand fields that I might want to work in.”

Shalvarjian believes that her skills and understanding of science have heavily impacted her performance in her Advanced Placement Biology and Physics courses at Costa. She plans to pursue her passion in college by majoring in biomedical engineering with a concentration in neurological sciences next year.

“I have learned a lot about how the research community functions,” Shalvarjian said. “The most rewarding part is probably seeing the project come together. There are a lot of moving parts when you write a paper, so it’s always really exciting when everything begins to fall together.”