Current Roles
Core didactic faculty for undergraduate (Integrated Human Biology program and general Antomy and Physiology) and naturopathic medical students.
Education
2000 - BA in Molecular and Cellular biology from UC Berkeley
2000-2002 Research Associate, Laboratory of Roger Nicoll, Dept. of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, UCSF
2010 - PhD in Neuobiology and Behavior from the Univsrsity of Washington
2011-2014 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Laboratory of Michael Dickinson, Dept. of Biology, University of Washington
2015 - Instructional faculty for the Dept. of Biology, University of Washington
Teaching/Research Interests
As an educator I aspire to engage my students and provoke them to think critically about the subject matter, while leading them towards three specific objectives: 1) an appreciation of the intricacies and beauty of the human body and the natural world, 2) an understanding of how specific biological systems function and interact to sustain life, and 3) the conceptual toolkit to tackle new biological questions. I use a variety of strategies to achieve these goals, including providing historical and experimental context for course material, actively seeking dialogue with the students either one-on-one or through group projects, and using problem sets and activities to promote active learning.
As a researcher I have sought to understand how the brain processes and stores sensory information for use in guiding behavior. I have explored this question using a neuroethological approach: finding interesting and unique animal behavior and designing experiments to understand the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie such behavior. Specifically I have investigated the neural mechanisms of song learning in zebra finches and visually-guided walking in Drosophila. My current research interests revolve around exploring the efficacy of herbal insect repellents and combining the study of behavior and sensory neurobiology to discover new ways to deter invertebrate pests and disease vectors, such as mosquitos.
Classes Taught
Bastyr University
Integrated Case Studies 1-3 (SN5103, SN5104, SN5105)
Advanced Case Studies 1-4 (SN7300, SN7301, SN7302, SN8300)
Biophysics 1-3 (BC3150, BC4108, BC4135)
Integrated Human Biology Lab 1-3 ( BC3151L, BC3152L, BC4153L)
Integrated Human Biology 1-3 (BC3151, BC3152, BC4153)
Integrated Biochemistry and Cell biology Lab (BC3144L)
Anatomy and Physiology Lab 2 (BC3136L)
Anatomy and Physiology Lab 3 (BC3163L)
Integrated Nervous System (BC5157)
Integrated Nervous System Lab (BC5157L)
Human Biology Seminar (BC3139)
Intensive General Chemistry I Lab (BC2116L)
Intensive General Chemistry II Lab (BC2118L)
Intensive Biochemistry Lab (BC4117L)
University of Washington
Introduction to Neuroscience (Biol 300)
Introduction to Systems Neuroscience (Nbio 302)
Advanced Animal Physiology (Biol 462)
Comparative Physiology (Biol 467)
Neurobiology of Sleep (Nbio 450, seminar)
Physiology and Development of Vocal Communication (Biol 488, seminar)
Books or Articles Written
Schnell E, Sizemore M, Karimzadegan S, Chen L, Bredt DS, Nicoll RA.
Direct interactions between PSD-95 and stargazin control synaptic AMPA
receptor number. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2002 Oct 15;99(21):13902-7.
Sizemore M, Perkel DJ. Noradrenergic and GABA B receptor activation
differentially modulate inputs to the premotor nucleus RA in zebra finches. J
Neurophysiol. 2008 Jul;100(1):8-18.
Sizemore M, Perkel DJ. Premotor synaptic plasticity limited to the critical
period for song learning. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2011
Oct 18;108(42):17492-7.
Professional Affiliations
Society for Neuroscience (SfN): 2006-2014
International Society of Neuroethology (ISN): 2012-2015
Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science
(SACNAS): 2006-present
Awards/Recognitions
2006 NIH Institutional Training Grant for Neurobiology
2007 Society for Neuroscience Chapter Award - Pacific Chapter
2012 Poster award, Janelia Farm Research Conference: Towards a common
framework to study the function of the insect central complex.
2012 University of Washington Diversity Award for Community Building
(as a member of the Seattle Fandango Project).