Brenna Bray

I am a St. Olaf graduate from 2006 (Psychology, Media Studies). I have been working with a professor in St. Olaf's department of Neuroscience for the past year, researching the neurobiology of addiction in a rodent model using operant chambers with infrared nose poke detectors. Over the summer (2012) I worked to develop an operant conditioning protocol to study the reinforcement properties of Red Bull Energy Drink and Ethanol solutions in adolescent mice (C57Bl/6J and DBA/2J); this research was presented at the MidBrains Undergraduate Neuroscience Conference held at Carleton College in October 2012. This fall (2012) I employed a modified version of Scott Baron and Leonard Meltzers rapid response acquisition procedures to test the effects of caffeine on the reinforcement properties of ethanol in C57Bl/6J and DBA/2J mice (Baron, S. P., & Meltzer, L. T. (2001). Mouse strains differ under a simple schedule of operant learning. Behavioral Brain Research, 118, 143-152). I am currently preparing to pursue a PhD in Neuroscience. I also have a passions for teaching and for endurance sports, and coach cross-country running and nordic ski teams at a high school in the Twin Cities area.