FAU Max Planck Honors Program

The Florida Atlantic University Max Planck Honors Program is excited to kick off Thesis Defense Season this afternoon. We would like to wish the very best to all of the students who will defend their thesis over the next 2 weeks. Looking forward to the presentations!!

MPHP Student Spotlight!! Tejas Purimetla, MPHP Student

Tejas Purimetla is a junior at the Wilkes Honors College and an honors candidate through the FAU Max Planck Honors Program. Tejas is working toward a BS in Biochemistry with a minor in Spanish Literature. Currently, Tejas is conducting research at the Max Planck Florida Institute (MPFI) under the mentorship of Dr. Vidhya Rangaraju, where they are looking at the neuroenergetics of synaptic plasticity. In this area, mitochondria are needed for stability to meet metabolic demands and Tejas has dedicated his time to better understanding the mitochondrial-actin interactions to shed light on this process. Outside of his coursework and research experience, Tejas serves as a student ambassador to welcome and encourage prospective students to attend FAU, is the Vice President of FAU Honors HOSA, and volunteers with Trustbridge Hospice. We are thrilled to have Tejas as part of the Max Planck Honors Program and we are looking forward to learning more about the outstanding research he is conducting at MPFI as he progresses in the program and works on a pending publication.

MPHP Student Spotlight!! Nahomie Brisseau, MPHP Student

Nahomie Brisseau is an honors candidate through the FAU Max Planck Honors Program and she is completing her final semester at FAU as an undergraduate student. Nahomie is working towards a BS in Neuroscience and Behavior through the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, while also minoring in Biological Sciences and Psychology. At FAU, Nahomie is conducting research on autophagy in the anoxic turtle under the mentorship of Dr. Sarah Milton. Through this research and with a better understanding of how cells operate in low oxygen environments, Nahomie hopes to shed light on better treatment options for diseases such as stroke and myocardial infarction. In addition to her studies and conducting research, Nahomie works at the FAU Student Accessibility Services office where she helps facilitate equitable learning experiences for all FAU students. We are excited to have Nahomie as part of the Max Planck Honors Program and we are looking forward to following her journey through graduate school as she seeks to get more involved in neuroscience research.

Congratulations class of 2020. Finally walking for graduation. You earned and full deserve the recognition!

The scavenger hunt this past weekend was a blast. Check out the 6 scavenger hunt landmarks on our twitter feed, https://twitter.com/FAU_MPHP

Do not forget to follow us!!

Congratulations! Another Nobel Prize announcement. 22 total! Through Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, it is exciting for the FAU students in the FAU Max Planck Honors Program to get exclusive lectures and discussions with Nobel laureates. Looking forward to meeting Dr. Edvard Moser (2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine) in November.

Nobel Prize week continues, with ANOTHER prize awarded to a Max Planck Researcher. Congratulations to Max Planck Director Benjamin List of the Max Planck Institut für Kohlenforschung, winner of the 2021 for Chemistry along with David MacMillan. This is the second Nobel prize in two days for the , bringing the organization's total to 22!

MPHP Student Spotlight!! Angelica E. Bodine, MPHP Student

Angelica Bodine is entering her final semester at FAU, where she is earning a BS in Neuroscience and Behavior through the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. Angelica is an honors candidate through the FAU Max Planck Honors Program. As a 1st generation college student, Angelica is paving her own way to academic success, while also hoping to be an inspiration to other students who may be the first in their family to attend college.
At FAU, Angelica is a peer mentor through the Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry, the senior advisor and previous president of the Neuroscience Club, and co-founder and current president of the Pre-SOMA organization. She has also found time to simultaneously conduct research at the Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute along-side Dr. Randy Blakely. Through this research, she has co-authored an abstract titled "Region-specific Dopamine D2 Autoreceptor Signaling Drives Sex-biased Behavioral Changes in DAT Val599 Mice" that will be presented at the Society for Neuroscience’s 50th Annual Meeting this November in Chicago.
When she is not mentoring students, conducting research, or participating in student organizations, Angelica works clinically as a Surgical/Trauma Intensive Care Registered Nurse at a Level 2 trauma center. To unwind from all of her academic and professional responsibilities, she enjoys weightlifting, swimming, bike-riding, a yearly snowboard trip to Utah, and will be pursuing a private pilot's license soon. We are excited to have Angelica as part of the Max Planck Honors Program and we are looking forward to continuing to be impressed with her accomplishments, when she defends her thesis this fall!

Welcome back MPHP students! Looking forward to a great semester. Florida Atlantic University

A couple years later and FAU President John Kelly is still right!

“This program is like no other in the world for undergraduate research quality..." - FAU President John Kelly

We are excited to continue to improve the program every year. Looking forward to the new events and collaborations to come.

FAU and Max Planck Unveil First-of-its-kind Honors Program Florida Atlantic University President John Kelly, Max Planck Society President Martin Stratmann, and David Fitzpatrick, CEO of the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI), announced a new partnership between FAU and MPFI to establish an undergraduate honors program in neuroscience that....