Shayna O'Connor

Starting the first morning of the #BPA2025 with a great symposium: ‘How does the hypothalamus contribute to mental illness? Thinking beyond endocrine dysfunction’ With @Dr_CJP, @SLOCONNOR, @IredaleJackie and Dr Trevor Steward

If you’re attending #sfn24, check out our lab’s posters Sunday morning! Orexin/hypocretin, sigma 1 receptor, sleep, addiction, cognition, feeding, puberty, depression, and more!

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First time in DC was a blast! Grateful to @SfNtweets for letting my @morganjameslab mates and me share our orexin/hypocretin system research. Huge thanks to @BWFUND for making it possible via #TPDA. Explored motivational disorders and the city—what an incredible experience!

Our lab has 5 posters this afternoon - all broadly related to the orexin/hypocretin system and reward. Drop by and say hello! Feat collabs with @DavidBarker_PhD, @DrGlitterbear and more! @SfNtweets @RutgersARC

Advice for a young investigator @canna_brain style. The culmination of a fantastic journey through Matt’s career from wannabe novelist to translational neuroscientist.

6-2 #CHOP 🎳

🎉 Congratulations to the winners of the 2023-2024 @RutgersU Brain Health Institute Trainee Travel Awards for #neuroscience. Students and Post-docs from across Rutgers were awarded $500 to attend a national/international conference. Stay tuned for more opportunities @BHI_Rutgers

Kept Chopping 🪓

Not all criticism is constructive. Not all critics are thinking critically. Weak critiques attack your identity. Decent critiques challenge your ideas. Strong critiques sharpen your thinking and improve your ideas. Listen closely to the people who care enough to help you grow.

Don’t mistake silence for apathy. When people are quiet, they’re often busy thinking and learning. Extraverts like to process ideas by talking them through. Introverts prefer to reflect before they speak. I'm not disengaged. I'm listening to your views and formulating mine.

Thank you to the people that aggressively nod during presentations.

A new PhD started today. She asked for general advice for the first few months. This was my advice: 1. Don’t work evenings or weekends 2. Don’t aim to prove yourself (to me), I’m already convinced of your capacities 3. Go for a walk when things dazzle you (1/3)

1-0 #CHOP

Very unexpected, but exciting win! 😊 Much appreciated to @SfNtweets for this opportunity!

Congrats to technician-turned-grad student @SLOCONNOR on her recent paper examining the relationship between novelty preference and trait cocaine behaviors in rats (spoiler: we didn’t find one). Check out her paper here: doi.org/10.1016/j.addi…