Three University of Iowa undergraduates, Kaleb Feia, Elizabeth Gross, and Ellie Wojcikowski, have won the 2025 Iowa Neuroscience Institute Summer Scholar Awards.

The INI Summer Scholar Program supports Iowa undergraduates planning to pursue research during the summer in the lab of an INI faculty member. As INI Summer Scholars, the students receive a stipend of $5,000 and have the opportunity to attend a summer undergraduate seminar series and a variety of informal events. 

The INI Summer Scholar application process is highly competitive, and Feia, Gross, and Wojcikowski stood out for the quality of their research plans, mentor endorsement, and academic performance. In addition, Feia was named the Kwak-Ferguson Summer Scholar, an award for research on neurodegenerative disease, supported through an endowment by UI alumnus Don Timm.

Feia works in the laboratory of Jared McLendon, PhD, assistant professor of pharmaceutical science and experimental therapeutics. The lab is interested in the role of the protein Sorbs2 in neurodegenerative diseases. Feia’s project will study the role of the neuronal isoform of Sorbs2 (nSorbs2) as an RNA binding protein in candidate genes by characterizing differential transcript expression, and whether nSorbs2 regulates alternative splicing through direct RNA binding in neurons.

Gross works in the laboratory of Kathleen Sluka, PhD, professor of physical therapy and rehabilitation science. Her project explores a mouse model of chronic pain, focused on how hypothalamic A11 dopamine neurons are involved in the transition from acute to chronic pain. A11 dopamine neurons release dopamine to the spinal cord to modulate pain pathways. Gross is working to determine whether these dopamine neurons have increased activity during the transition to chronic pain.

Wojcikowski works in the laboratory of Krystal Parker, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry, where she studies how the cerebellum and frontal cortex work together during timing tasks. Using mice with a gene duplication linked to schizophrenia (16p11.2), she explores how changes in cerebellar activity affect learning and sensorimotor processing. By chemogenetically manipulating the cerebellum, her work aims to pinpoint how disrupted brain circuits contribute to cognitive symptoms in schizophrenia. This model presents a unique opportunity to understand the neural mechanisms and the therapeutic potential for cerebellar stimulation in schizophrenia and related disorders. 

The Iowa Neuroscience Institute builds on the university’s decades-long tradition as a leading center for the study of neuroscience, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration and supporting innovation in foundational, translational, and clinical research.