Our Nutrition Undergraduate Fahmina Ali Receives the Office of Undergraduate Research Project Grant to Conduct Research on Effects of Dietary Lipids on Microbiota and brain

Fahmina "Mina" Ali, an undergraduate senior with a concentration in dietetics, and a microbiome science researcher in Dr. Ezgi Özcan's MinD-Gut lab received project grant funding from the Office of Undergraduate Research to conduct research on "Elucidating the Effects of Dietary Lipids on Gut Microbiome and Neuroinflammation". The purpose of these grants is to provide students a learning opportunity through participation in faculty-mentored projects. Full-time LSU undergraduate students can receive funding for hourly wages, supplies, and travel related to research. The MinD-Gut Lab studies how microbes and diet interact to influence the connection between the gut and the brain. Trillions of microbes live in our body, and they actively interact with our nervous system. What we eat affects how these microbes communicate with our body and brain. Mina is using techniques such as DNA extraction, microbiome sequencing, lipidomics, and ELISA to connect dietary lipids metabolism by microorganisms in our gut to inflammation in the brain-a common cause of cognitive decline. Mina will be presenting a poster and give a lightening talk at the LSU Summer Undergraduate Research Forum on Friday, August 1st, 2025. https://www.lsu.edu/our/funding/index.php