Penn State Altoona debuts RISE series highlighting faculty-student research

ALTOONA, Pa. - Penn State Altoona will launch its new "Research. Innovation. Skills. Engagement" (RISE) series on Thursday, Jan. 29, from 12:15 to 1 p.m. in the Mountain View Room of Port-Sky Café. The talk is free and open to the public.

Caristy DePasquale, associate professor of biology and recipient of the 2025 Penn State Altoona Excellence in Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities Mentoring Award, will be joined by undergraduate researchers Vendala Weitzel and Caitlin Blessel for their presentation, "The Zebrafish Advantage: Exploring Neural Pathways and Behavior." Their talk will explore how environment and exercise influence the connection between the brain and behavior, using zebrafish as a model organism.