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Alejandra Rebollar

My CV

  • Education:

    Bellerbys collage in Cambridge – Chemistry, Biology, Maths
    University of Sussex
    University of Sheffield

  • Qualifications:

    High school in mexico, A levels, Bachelor of Science: Cognitive neuroscience, Master of Science: Neuropathology

  • Work History:

    I have always been interested in science. I started working at my dad’s lab when I was 15 as an administrative assistance and next summer I volunteered at his lab. I have had internships in different areas of neuroscience doing rat surgery and also learning to read human brain scans. I teach undergrads and postgrads neuroanatomy using human brains.

  • Current Job:

    I am doing my research to obtain the degree of Doctor in Philosophy from the University of Sheffield. I investigate the effect of high fat diet on brain cells.

  • About Me:

    I am a brain scientist from Mexico at the University of Sheffield

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    I am originally from Mexico but move to the UK at age 18 to do my A levels. I really wanted to study neuroscience and they didn’t have it over there (:

    I speak 3 languages: Spanish, English and French I can also understand a bit of Italian and I tinny bit of Russian.

    I am a plant enthusiast and currently have 26 plants living with me in Sheffield. I enjoy exercising, especially dancing such as zumba, bellydance or salsa. My love all different kind of shows from Ru Paul Drag race to Grey’s Anatomy. On my free times I enjoy baking and spending time with my friends and my boyfriend even if it’s through a screen at the moment.

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    I work with mice that are genetically modified and I feed them different diets. One of the diets is normal (low in fat) and the other one is high in fat which cause they arteries to accumulate fat. Both of this mice develop fat on their arteries, the one with the normal diet is the equivalent of a 50-60 year old normal adult in a western diet for their whole life. The ones fed on the high fat diet develop a disease called atherosclerosis, which happens when the fat in the arteries accumulate and blocks the flow of blood into different parts of the body. If this happens on the brain it can be very dangerous as the brain needs A LOT of oxygen and energy which is transported in the blood. In the brain there is different types of cells (neurons and glia) and my work is to find if there are differences in the cells of mice with different diets.

  • My Typical Day:

    Wake up! I run to the to the lab to get the mouse brains ready! Then while things are warming up, I go for a coffee with my friends. Back in the lab I stain brains to see cells, everything has to be done at specific times so I spend all day in the lab. At the end of the day I get to see the results under a microscope.

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    I get the mouse brains and then separate two halves, one is frozen and the other is wax. After that I need to cut them thinner than a hair and put brown coloured antibodies on them that only fit to the target cell. Then I colour all nucleus, including neurons, blue This lets me look at very specific cells under the microscope and compare them. Everyone knows neurons, the cell in the brain that makes you think, but the brain has different types of cells such as astrocytes,  which look like stars, they are in charge of providing the neurons with nutrients and oxygen. This picture shows the blue neurons and the brown astrocytes after I have stained them.

  • What I'd do with the prize money:

    Fun day of science. An educational event with students and faculty members on STEM showing fun things you can do with science.

  • My Interview

    • How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

      Original, dramatic, curious

      What did you want to be after you left school?

      Brain scientist

      Were you ever in trouble at school?

      Yes, I was failing all my classes in year 9 but I was given a second chance. I was eventually top of my class and was given a scholarship to study at a British collage.

      Who is your favourite singer or band?

      Fall out boy

      What's your favourite food?

      Icecream or cheese

      If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!

      to always be confident when speaking in public, to eat whatever I want without consequences, that any plant I have survives forever!

      Tell us a joke.

      How do you make a tissue dance? put a boogie on it

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