Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896
September 17, 2025 September 17, 2025 | Published by the Students of Johns Hopkins since 1896

Science & Technology

COURTESY OF AMANDA RAY On September 5th, Amanda Ray, a graduate student at the Hopkins’ Gordus Lab, presented her dissertation defense, titled “Understanding How Sensory and Motor Information are Processed in a Neuron of Caenorhabditis elegans.”

Neural information processing in C. elegans: worming our way forward in neuroscience

By THANSI GARIKIPATI | 8 hours ago

How do brains turn environmental inputs into motor outputs? This question, known as the “black box” problem, has left neuroscientists scratching their heads for decades. On Sept. 5, Amanda Ray, a graduate student in the Gordus Lab at Hopkins, presented her dissertation defense, titled “Understanding How Sensory and Motor Information are Processed in a Neuron of Caenorhabditis elegans.”

COURTESY OF MARTA HATZELL The Circular Electrochemistry Lab at the Georgia Institute of Technology works on improving reactive carbon capture and conversion (RCCC) for environmental applications. 

Wolman seminar speaker Marta Hatzell: Engineering Advances Toward Carbon Neutral Fuels and Chemicals

By CLAIRE SHEN | 9 hours ago

The School of Public Health’s Wolman seminar series hosted Marta Hatzell, an associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and mechanical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology on Tuesday, Sept. 9. Hatzell gave a talk titled “Reactive Carbon Capture and Conversion: Pathways to Carbon-Neutral Fuels and Chemicals,” which highlighted the importance of carbon dioxide capture and its direct conversion into valuable materials.

COURTESY OF ANDREW WU Students perform serial dilutions and immunostaining at Agara Bio's Alzheimer’s ELISA workshop on Sept. 10th, 2025.

Agara Bio: a lab for students, by students

By ANDREW WU | 17 hours ago

Laboratory workshops, collaborative and independent projects, community events and personal fulfillment — Agara Bio brings it all together. The club, founded in 2018, is a student-run biology club that provides a lab space for students to delve into biology outside of traditional labs. Today, it has grown into a hub for laboratory workshops, independent projects and collaborative events that bring hands-on research opportunities to students across disciplines.

AREK SOCHA / PUBLIC DOMAIN Red blood cells contain hemoglobin – a vital protein for sustaining life. 

Science news in review: Sept. 10

By JESSIE CHIANG | Yesterday

Welcome back to another academic year! Let’s kick things off with the latest updates on science and technology, which include a closer look at how carbon monoxide slips off hemoglobin, a promising method for earlier ALS detection and Amazon joining the AI agent race.

COURTESY OF ENOCH TOH Toh reflects on his research experience at Hopkins after being awarded a 2025 Barry Goldwater Scholarship. 

Humans of Hopkins: Goldwater Scholar Enoch Toh

By GRACE OH | April 28, 2025

Enoch Toh is a junior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Computer Science (CS). He is a recipient of the 2025 Barry Goldwater Scholarship. In an interview with The News-Letter, Toh described his research experience and future plans. 

COURTESY OF EDMUND SUMPENA Sumpena details the research journey that led to him being named a 2025 Goldwater Scholar. 

Humans of Hopkins: Goldwater Scholar Edmund Sumpena

By ALEX PAN | April 24, 2025

Edmund Sumpena is a junior completing a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science and Neuroscience. He is a recipient of the 2025 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. In an interview with The News-Letter, Sumpena described his research experience and future plans.

COURTESY OF LANCE XU  Xu reflects on his research experience at Hopkins after being awarded a 2025 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship.

Humans of Hopkins: Goldwater Scholar Lance Xu

By KATIE TRUONG | April 24, 2025

Lance Xu is a junior completing a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering and currently conducting cancer research. He is a recipient of the 2025 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. In an interview with The News-Letter, Xu described his research experience and future career plans.

COURTESY OF GAVIN WANG Wang reflects on his research experience at Hopkins after being awarded a 2025 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship.

Humans of Hopkins: Goldwater Scholar Gavin Wang

By KATIE TRUONG | April 24, 2025

Gavin Wang is a junior completing a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics, currently researching topics related to astronomy and astrophysics, specifically extrasolar planets. He is a recipient of the 2025 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. In an interview with The News-Letter, Wang described his research experience and future plans.

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS / PUBLIC DOMAIN Wu delivered a talk titled “Imaging Translation of Single mRNAs in Live Cells” to the department of Biology.

Investigating the machinery of gene expression, one molecule at a time

By WEILI LU | April 23, 2025

On Thursday April 17, Bin Wu, associate professor in the department of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry at the School of Medicine, visited Homewood Campus to deliver a talk titled “Imaging translation of single mRNAs in live cells” as part of the Department of Biology’s Seminar Series. Wu discussed his lab’s recent work using single-molecule imaging techniques to visualize the mechanisms of messenger RNA (mRNA) translation in real time. 

COURTESY OF ELIZABETH JAFFEE & DANIEL ZABRANSKY Dr. Elizabeth Jaffee and Dr. Daniel Zabransky, Hopkins researchers investigating the development of pancreatic cancer, underscore the importance of federal funding to their work. 

How federal funding is fueling the battle against pancreatic cancer at Hopkins

By SHREYA TIWARI | April 23, 2025

Researchers at Hopkins have made strides in pancreatic cancer research, both in understanding age-related differences in prognosis and working on the development of a vaccine for patients at high risk of developing the disease. Fueled by personal commitment to the work and vital support from federal funding, scientists like Dr. Daniel Zabransky and Dr. Elizabeth Jaffee are working to unravel the biology of pancreatic cancer and reshape its future.

JENS MAUS / PUBLIC DOMAIN Positron emission tomography scans are reliable for detection of pathology for neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. 

Science news in review: April 22

By KATIE TRUONG | April 22, 2025

We’re at the home stretch of the academic year! Let’s end the year strong by reviewing some breaking discoveries this week, including the creation of a never-seen-before color, the detection of biosignatures on a distant planet and advances in research for Parkinson's disease. 

COTTONBRO / CC BY-NC 4.0 Cho discusses her research experience at Center for OCD, Anxiety, and Related Disorders for Children (COACH) and further reflections about her journey in clinical psychology. 

A longitudinal case study on an undergraduate researcher

By AIMEE CHO | April 20, 2025

I like the color purple. The number 22, the season of autumn and definitely cats over dogs. Everytime I try to explain what fuels my affections, I don’t have much to say: I am just drawn to them for no good reason that I can pinpoint.

FLETCHER6 / CC BY-SA 3.0 Senior Maya Mann shares her research collecting, analyzing and visualizing data on food and grocery store accessibility in major cities, including Baltimore. 

From New York City to Baltimore: Research in accessible urban planning

By BUSE KOLDAS | April 18, 2025

Senior Maya Mann’s interest in accessible city planning and appreciation for public transportation stems from growing up in New York City. In an interview with The News-Letter, Mann described her research in urban planning as an aspiring systems engineer, which she hopes will inspire city policy makers to make more informed decisions.

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS / CC BY-SA 3.0 Ringstad delivered a talk titled “Modulation of Behavior by Host-Microbe Interactions” to the Department of Biology.

How microbes influence worm neurobiology (and maybe ours, too)

By WEILI LU | April 15, 2025

On Thursday April 1, the Department of Biology hosted Niels Ringstad, professor in the Department of Cell Biology at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine. Ringstad delivered a talk titled “Modulation of Behavior by Host-Microbe Interactions” for the department’s seminar series, highlighting recent findings from his lab about the powerful effects of microbes on the behavior of the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans).

COURTESY OF VINCENT COLÓN Orbit members Khrapko (far left), Green (second to the left), Pang (second to the right) and El-Habr (far right) gathered around a visitor who is wearing one of Orbit’s headsets. 

How former Hopkins student Colton El-Habr and Orbit make magic with vestibular stimulators

By GRACE OH | April 9, 2025

Colton El-Habr was a Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) student for a little over a year before dropping out in 2023 to commit full-time to Orbit Technologies (Orbit). Orbit is the neurotechnology startup El-Habr co-founded with Steven Pang, a former student at Georgetown University. In an interview with The News-Letter, El-Habr discussed his journey with the startup along with the details of Orbit’s technology. 

COURTESY OF BRENDON DAVIS  The Science Policy and Diplomacy Group at Hopkins visited the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on a White House visit in 2024 to discuss policy initiatives with the Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Science Feature: Hopkins Science Policy and Diplomacy Group

By KATIE TRUONG | March 13, 2025

In the wake of shifting political attitudes towards science, policymaking and advocacy have become critical in guiding the future of science. The Science Policy and Diplomacy Group at Hopkins is an entirely graduate-student-run group aiming to ensure that science and policy remain connected through advocacy, awareness and action. 

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