2025-2026 Minnesota Scholars

2024-2025 Minnesota Scholars

Introducing the ARCS Foundation MN Chapter Scholars
Our current Scholars span six different departments at the University of Minnesota: Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics (BMBB); Biomedical Engineering (BME); Mechanical Engineering, Civil (Mech E); Civil, Environmental, and Geo-Engineering (CEGE); Computer Science & Engineering (CSE); Neuroscience; and Immunology.

Ash Milton

My current research interests are focused on understanding the experiences and needs of users when navigating social media and search engines. I focus on marginalized people and communities, mainly mental health and LGBTQIA+ identities. By recognizing the needs and struggles with technology of marginalized people and communities, I suggest and design changes to current social media and search engines to better support marginalized individuals.

People with mental illness or LGBTQIA+ identities turn to the internet as a primary source of information and support but often face barriers when interacting with social media and search engines. Thus, by investigating and designing how people use these technologies, the lives of marginalized people can be improved. Supporting marginalized people perpetuates a virtuous cycle of equity that positively affects society.

I expect to use my award to support my research by covering some of the expenses that occur in completing the PhD program at UMN.

My career objectives are to continue doing research that supports marginalized individuals through a faculty position at a research university. I believe that it is important to not only continue my own research but also mentor students to be researchers who tackle important issues.

I like to read and play video games when I am not working on research. I also used to be a cake decorator and still like to bake and decorate cakes for friends' birthdays. My family lives on the West Coast, which is where I grew up. I am the oldest of 5 siblings, with 3 little sisters and a little brother.

Nicole Quintus

Research shows that the brain’s opioid system is involved in depression, but the underlying reasons remain unclear. Directly activating opioid receptors with drugs like fentanyl or heroin can cause harmful effects, including addiction. The Rothwell Lab recently identified a way to indirectly modulate opioid signaling without triggering drug-seeking behavior. My thesis uses a mouse model of social defeat stress to study how this indirect pathway affects gene expression in the brain and contributes to depressive-like behaviors such as anhedonia and social withdrawal. This work could support new treatments for major depressive disorder, especially for people who don’t respond to current therapies. Support from this award will ease the financial strain of graduate school, allowing me to upgrade essential research technology and cover basic living costs so I can fully focus on my project. My long-term goal is to lead a research team investigating the molecular causes of depression and to pair that work with my commitment to equity and inclusion, improving outcomes for communities disproportionately affected by mental illness. Outside the lab, I enjoy sewing—currently a baby blanket for my niece—and making my own clothes, including a favorite floral dress from last spring. I’m also a lifelong musician and concert lover; I even met my husband at a show in Tempe, Arizona. When we’re not out listening to live music, we love tending to our garden at home.

Makaha Harmon

I develop new methods to improve how non-invasive neuromodulation therapies are delivered and to better understand the brain circuits they affect. Using computational tools and functional connectivity analyses, I study how different brain regions respond during stimulation. My goal is to advance closed-loop neuromodulation—real-time, personalized stimulation that could transform treatment for neuropsychiatric conditions. This work aims to deepen our understanding of brain function and lead to more precise, patient-specific therapies that are both more effective and less invasive. By improving how we target and adjust stimulation, we can ultimately enhance outcomes and quality of life for people with neurological and psychiatric disorders. This award will support my growth as a scientist by allowing me to attend major brain-stimulation conferences, connect with experts, share my research, and strengthen my skills through workshops and specialized training. My long-term goal is to serve the veteran community, especially individuals coping with neuropsychiatric conditions related to military sexual trauma and domestic abuse. As a veteran myself, I’m committed to developing tailored neuromodulation treatments and partnering with the Veterans Health Administration through future academic research. Outside the lab, I love hiking with my dog, Ernest, exploring Minneapolis, and taking road trips to visit my family in Michigan. Sharing my graduate school journey with my parents and doing science experiments with my nephews is one of my greatest joys.

Abby Matheney

If you’ve ever walked around a Minnesota lake in the summer and noticed bright green mats floating on the surface, you’ve seen what inspires my research. These algal blooms, caused by the rapid growth of cyanobacteria, can release toxins that are harmful to both wildlife and humans. Yet cyanobacteria also played a key role in making our planet habitable by producing oxygen billions of years ago. Today, their overgrowth tells an important story about how our freshwater ecosystems are changing. My research investigates how the increase in harmful algal blooms, driven by warmer temperatures and nutrient runoff, shifts the chemical makeup of lakes and the organic matter that forms the foundation of aquatic food webs. By understanding how these changes affect water chemistry and ecosystem health, we can make better-informed management decisions to protect our lakes and communities that depend on them. Support from the ARCS Scholar Award allows me to continue this work, focusing on how climate change may influence the persistence of algal toxins in Minnesota lakes. The award also provides opportunities to share my findings at conferences and collaborate with other scientists developing strategies for safer, cleaner water. My long-term goal is to become a professor and lead my own research team dedicated to science-based approaches for improving water quality. Beyond my research, I stay active through swimming, long-distance running, and skiing in the winter. I love experimenting with vegetarian cooking, reading, and playing the piano. Growing up as the middle child in a close-knit family taught me how to balance independence with collaboration—skills that serve me well both in and out of the lab.

Mari Reid

My research looks at how different parts of a cell communicate with each other. Organelles like mitochondria (which make energy), the ER (which makes proteins), and lipid droplets (which store fat) don’t work alone—they exchange chemical signals to keep the cell healthy. We know lipid droplets interact closely with mitochondria and the ER, but we still don’t fully understand how they “talk” to each other. I’m working to figure out what messages lipid droplets send and how nearby organelles interpret them. I study these interactions in liver cells, where proper communication is essential for healthy fat metabolism. In fatty liver disease, this communication breaks down. By understanding how organelles work together in healthy cells, we hope to restore that communication in diseased cells and improve liver function. Because fatty liver disease affects nearly a third of adults, this work could help many people. What we learn may also apply to other diseases, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, where organelle communication is also disrupted. The ARCS Scholar Award will help me access advanced microscopes, visit collaborators to learn new techniques, and attend conferences to share my research and learn from others. My long-term goal is to become a professor at a primarily undergraduate institution, where I can focus on teaching and mentoring while running a small research lab that gives students hands-on experience. Outside the lab, I love reading fantasy, sci-fi, and mystery books, and I’ve played the clarinet for about fifteen years. As a Minnesota native, I’m grateful to have my family and close friends nearby—they’ve been an incredible support throughout grad school.

Trevor Tankersley

Our immune system protects us from infections and cancer through two main parts: innate and adaptive immunity. My research focuses on CD8+ T cells, a type of adaptive immune cell that kills infected or cancerous cells. Within this group, I study a powerful subset called Long-Lived Effector Cells (LLECs), which are especially effective at clearing infections. I’m investigating how these cells develop, what makes them so strong, and how they use receptors typically found on innate immune cells to enhance their function. To make our research more relevant to humans, we use a “dirty mouse” model that better reflects the immune experience of adult humans. This approach can improve the development of vaccines and immunotherapies targeting infections and cancer. Support from the ARCS Scholar Award will help me attend scientific conferences and access specialized tools for my research. After earning my PhD, I plan to continue studying CD8+ T cell biology as a postdoctoral researcher and apply my findings to new treatments for cancer and chronic disease. I’m originally from Phoenix, Arizona. Outside the lab, I enjoy baking (especially tarts!), playing video games, walking around Minnesota’s lakes, and spending time with my two black cats, Salem and Moira.