Joshua Mendell launched his research career with a junior high science fair project on DNA mutation rates in bacteria. A graduate student who worked with his father, Jerry Mendell, a neurologist at The Ohio State University, assisted him with his project and taught him the basics of molecular…

Growing up in Corpus Christi, Texas, Elsa Flores was encouraged to follow her unflagging “curiosity about how things work.” Inspired by her father, an educator who studied biology and chemistry, Flores had always envisioned a career in science. But she felt uncertain about where to attend college—whether to…

Several Rita Allen Scholars have forged new approaches to studying parasite neurobiology, neural plasticity, spinal cord cells and persistent pain with support from the Foundation. To celebrate their achievements, we share these summaries as their multiyear awards conclude. Elissa Hallem, University of California, Los Angeles…