I study Synaptic Physiology in the Young Lab here at the University of Iowa. In particular, I focus on the molecular mechanisms of presynaptic function, and how presynaptic molecules drive information processing in the auditory system. We use the calyx of Held - a giant glutamatergic presynaptic terminal in the auditory brainstem - in combination with novel mouse models and viral vectors to examine the presynaptic roles of particular proteins. My thesis work examines the presynaptic roles that the alpha-2-delta family of proteins play at the calyx and in the auditory system. In my free time I moonlight as the General Secretary of the Camaraderie Committee for the Neuroscience Program and an embittered Hornets fan.