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Gabriel Miller is a second-year BLaST Scholar and plans to graduate in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences with a concentration in Cell and Molecular Biology. He is from the small village of Ninilchik, Alaska, where he has lived all his life. His hobbies include drawing, hiking, insect collecting, and any other activities outside in nature. Miller’s career goal is to enter the biomedical research field after graduate school. He recently was accepted to the University of Virginia’s Neuroscience Ph.D. program where he plans to focus in neuroimmunology.

 

Miller’s current research project, “Effects of Rabies Viral Glycoprotein Binding on Human and Dog α7 Nicotinic Receptors," assesses whether the glycoprotein is selective for a specific host, human or canine, nicotinic receptor. The rabies virus enters the nervous system by interacting with molecular targets on host cells to modify behavior, and trigger virion receptor-mediated endocytosis by poorly understood mechanisms. This study examines the activity of the rabies virus glycoprotein on nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes that are expressed on the plasma membrane of neurons in brain regions involved in rabid animal behavior. 

Miller thanks Emily Sousa, his former BLaST RAMP, who helped him in his first year as a BLaST Scholar and assisted him in applying to graduate school. Nikola Nikolic, his current BLaST RAMP, has been immensely supportive in navigating challenges, especially moving from the Badiei lab to the Weltzin lab. “He [Nikola] has been a great resource for advice about graduate school.” Miller also thanks Alireza Badiei and graduate student Alex Cornwell in his initial training of molecular techniques and processing and analyzing western blots. 

 

Miller also thanks Maegan Weltzin especially, “being the single most influential person in my development as a researcher who helped me gain a stronger basis and appreciation for neuroscience. I was able to gain a thorough understanding of the skills needed to go further in this area. She encouraged me to apply for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program, and helped me make the most out of attending the 2023 Society for Neuroscience Conference in D.C. These experiences allowed me to be a competitive and well-prepared applicant for graduate school and is the reason why I was accepted into my top school.” Miller further thanks the graduate students of the Weltzin lab for their support in training him in other research techniques, especially to ������ϲʹ������� graduate student Brittany O’Brien as the primary lead in his research journey.