“Most of my psychology courses at ISU focused on the psychosocial aspects of human behavior, the neurobiology course was my first opportunity to really study the biological aspects of behavior. I loved it. Before the class was over, I asked my advisor to connect me with a neuropsychology research project that would allow me to use my psychology experience and get my foot in the door of research.”
Shannon spent his next two semesters in a cognitive neuroscience lab analyzing event-related potentials to study the neural correlates of regulative and evaluative cognitive control and prospective and retrospective memory while completing his Psychology requirements. During his last two semesters at ISU, Shannon switched his coursework and research focus to a more biological path.
“I didn’t want a complete change, I just wanted to take a more biological neuroscience path.” The next two semesters Shannon worked in a biomedical science lab at the ISU Veterinarian Medicine facility assisting in motor learning research.
While visiting the Des Moines University campus, Dr. Larsen introduced Shannon to Dr. Terriann Crisp. “I was surprised that Dr. Crisp was willing to share her time and research with me. I was fascinated by the research and everyone I met at DMU made me feel at home. When the Biomedical science degree became available at DMU, I wanted to be the first in line. It was the perfect opportunity to earn my place in the research world, learn more about a topic I was already passionate about, and get a feel for the medical school environment.”
Education
Received Bachelors of Science from Iowa State University
Current Projects
I am currently working with Dr. Terriann Crisp to investigate the involvement of reactive oxygen species and the effects of antioxidants in neuropathic pain conditions.
Most important lesson learned at DMU
Things don’t always turn out as expected in research. When you get an unexpected outcome, learn something from it. Even if you didn’t make the “right” choice, you can now eliminate a “wrong” choice.
Future plans
I hope I will always be working in research, but I also love the physician-patient interaction. I am going to apply to D.O. schools this fall. I will spend a year teaching and hopefully find a neuroscience research project to work with.
