Graduate student Nicole Katchur's 2023 Princeton Research Day presentation received the Graduate Student Impact Award. Katchur is an MD/PhD candidate at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Princeton University, advised by Daniel Notterman, M.D., Professor of the Practice in Molecular Biology.

Her presentation considered the connection between chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and repetitive traumatic brain injuries (rTBI) using a fruit fly model. From her presentation description: "Though strongly associated, the transition between rTBI and CTE is not sharply defined. Studies have shown that a number of American football players with repeated head injuries develop CTE as do military personnel who experience a single blast injury. This suggests that the total force of injuries accumulated by the brain over a period of time may contribute to the transition from rTBI to CTE. Using a novel concussion model to induce head injuries in fruit flies, we aim to study force-dependent accumulation of protein network changes over time." You can watch the presentation here.

The Graduate Student Impact Award, sponsored by the Graduate School, recognizes one presentation by a graduate student whose presentation clearly communicates the potential positive impact their research has on enriching or improving our culture, community or society. The award includes a cash prize.

Now in its eighth consecutive year, Princeton Research Day 2023 took place on May 11, 2023, highlighting work from across all areas of study at Princeton, including the natural sciences, social sciences, engineering, the arts and humanities.