My name is Randall Eck and I am a senior majoring in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science and Political Science at the University of Arizona. I work in the lab of Dr. Daniela Zarnescu studying RNA stress granules. RNA stress granules are a major part of our cells’ response to stress. Using rats and fruit flies, I study how RNA stress granules change during aging and how this impact stress resilience and behavior. Through UA’s Undergraduate Biology Research Program, I have spent a summer working in a research lab in the Czech Republic and received support from the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation Scholars Program. I am currently applying to graduate school programs in neuroscience. Besides loving scientific research and the brain, I am a news junkie and enjoy backpacking the Southwest’s amazing national parks! 
