NI HAO! ("Hello" in Chinese)

I am Ju Yang from Henan, China. My first name Ju means "get together", and just like my name, I like making friends and sharing ideas with others. I graduated from Tsinghua University, major in biological sciences. My undergraduate research focused on olfactory learning and memory in Drosophila and I worked as a member on the project concerning Rac-mediated forgetting mechanism. Besides, I have proposed a project independently to study the possible interaction between olfactory and visual memories using a modified T-maze.

My primary research interest is molecular and behavioral neuroscience. I would like to discover how molecular interaction affects animal behavior, such as memory and courtship. It is cool to connect a series of of biochemical reactions with certain behavioral patterns in living animals. There is a long way to go to elucidate such linkage, and I would like to make my specific contribution. It is a great honor to get the offer to study at Columbia University and I am sure life at New York will be exciting and fascinating.

In my spare time, I love reading Manga, watching Anime and drawing cartoons. Yes, I am a big Anime/Manga fan! I know that there is a great Comic Con at New York every year, which will definitely drive me crazy.