Samhitha Mada

Howdy! My name is Samhitha Mada and I am a sophomore from Coppell, Texas. Over the past two years, I have had the opportunity to work under two different labs as well as my own research experience.

I began research under Dr. Purdur Jagadeeswaran at University of North Texas focusing on using zebrafish as an animal model to investigate the RNaseH-mediated simultaneous piggyback knockdown of genes associated with factor IXa expression in adult zebrafish. Additionally, I worked to create a database to help understand how to use the zebrafish model and make it more accessible to a larger population of molecular biologists. I also conducted my own research project for my IB Diploma as well as building upon it for my BroadStreet Public Health Honors class in investigating the impact of social media on adolescent mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic throguh a meta analysis for over 20 publications to explore how social media exacerbates symptoms of depression in adolescents amidst the pandemic. Currently, I work at Reddy lab with my primary focus within the lab centering on stereology and neuroscience histology, where I analyze brain structures to elucidate the effects of therapeutic interventions on epilepsy. Understanding stereological techniques allowed me to accurately quantify cellular structures and neuronal populations within brain tissue sections, providing valuable data for understanding the effects of experimental treatments on neural architecture and function.

Outside of academics, I am a trained dancer of 13 years and hold a diploma of Kuchipudi. I have competed with our very own Indian classical competitive team, TAMU Sahithya, for two years as well as have been internationally acclaimed! I have recently started a Bollywood dance competition, TAMU Iktara, which serves as a platform to raise awareness to the South Asian arts and helps national charities. After graduating, I plan on attending medical school with the hopes of becoming a physician and opening up my own clinic!