SELECTED ABSTRACTS/ RESEARCH PRESENTATIONS
*SFN = Society for Neuroscience
*SOT = Society of Toxicology

POSTER 

• A. Colón-Rodríguez, K.B. Weyenberg, A. Quezada, E. Jao, J.M. Uribe Salazar, A. Sriram, P.J. Lein, L.E. Jao, M.Y. Dennis. Using zebrafish as a tool to study SLC7A5, a gene implicated in autism spectrum disorder and epilepsy. SFN 2019 Annual Meeting. Chicago, IL. October 22, 2019. 

 

• A. Colón-Rodríguez, K. Burbach, E. Ferino, M. Bader, P.J. Lein, L.E. Jao, M.Y. Dennis. Using zebrafish as a tool to model patient mutations of KCNB1 and its role in epilepsy. UC Davis Human Genomics Symposium. Sacramento, CA. November 16, 2018.

 

• A. Colón-Rodríguez, K. Burbach, E. Ferino, M. Bader, P.J. Lein, L.E. Jao, M.Y. Dennis. Using zebrafish as a tool to model patient mutations of KCNB1 and its role in epilepsy. SFN 2018 Annual Meeting. San Diego, CA. November 6, 2018.

 

• A. Colón-Rodríguez, K. Burbach, E. Ferino, P. Lein, L.E. Jao, F. Hormozdiari, M.Y. Dennis. Using CRISPR gene editing of kcnb1 in zebrafish to understand its role in epilepsy. UC Davis Human Genomics Symposium. Sacramento, CA. November 17, 2017. 

 

• A. Colón-Rodríguez, K. Burbach, E. Ferino, P. Lein, L.E. Jao, M.Y. Dennis. Using zebrafish as a tool to model patient mutations of kcnb1 and its role in epilepsy. 2nd Northern California Fish Research Symposium. Davis, CA. August 22, 2017.

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• A. Colón-Rodríguez, N. Colón-Carrión, W. D. Atchison. Methylmercury alters intracellular calcium concentrations in human-induced pluripotent stem cell motor neurons in a concentration dependent manner. SOT 2017 Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD. March 13, 2017.

 

• A. Colón-Rodríguez, W. D. Atchison. Acute methylmercury exposure leads to alterations in AMPA and NMDA receptor expression in the motor neuron NSC34 cell line. SFN 2016 Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA. November 13, 2016.

 

•  A. Colón-Rodríguez, R. K. Hajela, W. D. Atchison. Contribution of AMPA receptors in methylmercury-induced cell death in the motor neuron NSC34 cell line, SOT 2016 Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA. March 14, 2016.

 

• A. Colón-Rodríguez, E. S. Rodriguez-Tapia, C. T. Tiernan, W. D. Atchison. Bridge to Neuroscience Workshop: taking neuroscience to high school and undergraduate students in Puerto Rico, SFN 2015 Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL. October 17-18, 2015.

 

• A. Colón-Rodríguez, R. K. Hajela and W. D. Atchison. In vivo methylmercury exposure alters glutamate receptor mRNA levels in rat forebrain. SOT 2015 Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA. March 24, 2015.

 

• A. Colón-Rodríguez, R. K. Hajela and W. D. Atchison. Brain region-dependent effects of methylmercury on expression of ligand- & voltage-gated calcium channels in rat. SFN 2014 Annual Meeting, Washington. DC. November 16, 2014.

 

• A. Colón-Rodríguez, Brain region dependent effects of methylmercury on expression of ligand and voltage-gated calcium channels in rat. SOT 2014 Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ. March 25, 2014.

 

• A. Colón-Rodríguez, A. L. Perez Medina, W. D. Atchison. Postnatal methylmercury exposure alters glutamate receptor mRNA expression in rat spinal cord. SFN 2013 Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA. November 11, 2013.

 

• A. Colón-Rodríguez, R. K. Hajela, W. D. Atchison. Comparative study of the effects of postnatal methylmercury exposure on the expression of ligand-gated and voltage-gated Ca2+ channels in rat cerebellum. Cellular & Molecular Mechanisms of Toxicity, Gordon Research Conference, Proctor Academy, Andover, NH. August 12-13, 2013.

 

• A. Colón-Rodríguez, R. K. Hajela, S. Escudero, Y. Yuan, W. D. Atchison. Low dose postnatal methylmercury exposure alters mRNA levels of rat brainstem glutamate receptors and voltage gated calcium channels. SOT 2013 Annual Meeting. San Antonio, TX. March 13, 2013.

 

• C. T. Tiernan, A. Colón-Rodríguez, E. S. Rodríguez-Tapia, C. Dams, B. D. Hammond, C. R. Hutch, H. N. Kerver, B. M. Marrero-Rosado, W. D. Atchison. Bridge to the Ph.D. in Neuroscience: A platform to increase Hispanic representation in neuroscience research. SFN 2012 Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA. October 16, 2012.

 

• A. Colón-Rodríguez, R. K. Hajela, W. D. Atchison. Effects of chronic methylmercury exposure on mRNA expression of ligand and voltage gated ion channels in cerebellum and forebrain of adult mice. SFN 2012 Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA. October 16, 2012.

 

• A. Colón-Rodríguez, R. K. Hajela, and W. D. Atchison. Effects of chronic postnatal methylmercury exposure on the expression of GABAA receptor subunits in mouse cerebellum. SOT 2012 Annual meeting, San Francisco, CA. March 12, 2012.

 

• A. Colón-Rodríguez, R. K. Hajela, Y. Yuan and W. D. Atchison. Ion channel gene transcription is affected differentially in rat cerebellum after postnatal methylmercury exposure. SOT 2011 Annual meeting, Washington, DC. March 8, 2011.

 

• A. Colón-Rodríguez, R. K. Hajela, W. D. Atchison. Expression of nerve membrane proteins in a naturally occurring Ca+2 channelopathy. Ronald E. McNair Undergraduate Research Symposium, East Lansing, MI. August 5, 2009.

 
ORAL 

• A. Colón-Rodríguez. Neuroscience Outreach in Puerto Rico: Impact of the Next Generation Award, SFN 2015 Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL. October 18, 2015.

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• A. Colón-Rodríguez. Comparative effects of methylmercury on expression of ligand-gated and voltage-gated calcium channels in rat cerebellum and brainstem. NEURAL Conference, Birmingham, AL. June 25, 2015.​

 

• A. Colón-Rodríguez. MSU AGEP Community Meeting. Methylmercury toxicity and motor neuron degeneration. Why do we care? East Lansing, MI. September 2014.

INVITED ORAL PRESENTATIONS 

• Keynote Speaker – “My identity is my superpower”. SACNAS NDiSTEM Annual Meeting Chapter Officer Leadership October Retreat (C.O.L.O.R.). San Juan, Puerto Rico. October 26, 2022.

 

• Panelist – Science Policy Research Careers and Opportunities. How Can You Shape the Education and Research Agenda. University of California San Diego. Virtual panel. October 19, 2022.

 

• Keynote Speaker – “Sí se puede: cómo convertirme en científica fue de un sueño a una profesión”. Semana de las Ciencias. Universidad Ana G. Méndez, Carolina, Puerto Rico. Virtual talk. April 7, 2022.

 

• Keynote Speaker – University of Hawaii at Hilo NSF Advance Bridge Program Building Relationships to Increase Diversity and Gender Equity Workshop. “Defining and Forming Mentorship Relationships from an Intersectional Perspective”. Virtual presentation. February 4th, 2022.

 

• Speaker/Interviewer – "Researcher to Researcher, Fireside chat with Dr. Anthony Fauci", 2021 National Health Research Forum, Straight Talk: Fighting Health Threads Faster. Research!America, Virtual talk. September 14, 2021.

 

• Speaker – Fundación Garcia Rinaldi Puerto Rico virtual presentation. “La importancia de la mentoría y el ser un mentee receptivo para el éxito”. June 23, 2021.

• Keynote Speaker – Yale Biological and Biomedical Sciences Diversity and Inclusion Collective (YBDIC), Virtual presentation. “Communicating science as a minority in STEM”. June 14, 2021.

 

• Keynote Speaker – UC Davis Cesar Chavez Youth Leadership Conference, Virtual talk. “Our identity our strength”. May 25, 2021. 

• Keynote Speaker – “Mentoring as a tool for retention and success”, University of Hawaii at Hilo NSF Advance Bridge Program Building Relationships to Increase Diversity and Gender Equity Workshop, Virtual talk, Hilo, HI. February 5, 2021.  

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• Speaker - Charla con una STEAMinist. Mujeres TICs Bolivia, Virtual talk, BO. December 12, 2020. 

 

• Panelist - Life as a remote scientist during the COVID-19 pandemic. Science Magazine Live Stream, October 2, 2020. 

 

• Speaker - "Science Communication: Increase the Impact of your work", 2020 Society of Postdoctoral Scholars at the University of Kentucky Research Symposium, Virtual Symposium, University of Kentucky, KY. September 24, 2020.

 

• Speaker - Base de Datos Nacional de Científicos Voluntarios. Noticias Telemundo, Video of interview can be found here, May 21, 2020.

 

• Keynote Speaker - University of Hawaii at Hilo 2nd Annual Women In STEM Conference. "I am a minority in STEM, That is my superpower". Hilo, HI. March 2020.

 

• Speaker - UNE URGREAT-MBRS-RISE Program end of the year event. "Conversatorio: Sí se puede". Carolina, PR. May 2018.

 

• Panelist - Society of Toxicology Undergraduate Education Program. “What is Grad school and what can I expect? A postdoc perspective”. Baltimore, MD. March 2017.

 

• Panelist - MSU 2015 Leadership Summit. Student leadership panel: "My experience as the president of MSU Graduate Women in Science". East Lansing, MI. November 2015.

 

• Speaker - Neuroscience Outreach in Puerto Rico: Impact of the Next Generation Award, SFN 2015 Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL. October 18, 2015.

 

• Panelist - Society of Toxicology Undergraduate Education Program. “What is Grad school and what can I expect? A graduate student perspective”. Phoenix, AZ. March 2014.

 

• Speaker - UNE URGREAT-MBRS-RISE Program Retreat. “Jointly advancing our commitment to scholarly pursuit: Inspiring and empowering both mentor and mentee”, Fajardo, PR. May 2013.

 

• Speaker - University of Puerto Rico- Cayey RISE Program. “Life in Graduate School”. Cayey, PR. February 2012.

SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS

• Effects of methylmercury on spinal cord afferents and efferents – A review. A. Colón-Rodríguez, H. E. Hannon, and W. D. Atchison. Neurotoxicology. In press, Dec 2016.

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• Evaluating a gene-environment interaction in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Methylmercury exposure and mutated SOD1. J. M. Bailey, A. Colón-Rodríguez, and W. D. Atchison. Current Environmental Health Reports. In press, April 2017. 

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• Bridge to Neuroscience Workshop: An effective educational tool to introduce principles of neuroscience to Hispanic students. A. Colón-Rodríguez, E. S. Rodríguez-Tapia, C. T. Tiernan, and W. D. Atchison. PLOS ONE. In press, December 2019.

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• The next 50 years of neuroscience. C. Altimus, B. J. Marlin, N. E. Charalambakis, A. Colón-Rodríguez, et al. The Journal of Neuroscience. In press, January 2020. 

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• AMPA receptor contribution to methylmercury-mediated alteration of intracellular Ca2+ concentration in human induced pluripotent stem cell motor neurons. A. Colón-Rodríguez, N. M. Colón-Carrión, and W. D. Atchison. Neurotoxicology. In press, September 2020.

 

• Assessment of autism zebrafish mutant models using a high-throughput larval phenotyping platform. A. Colón-Rodríguez, J.M. Uribe-Salazar, KC. B. Weyenberg, A. Sriram, A. Quezada, G. Kaya, E. Jao, B. Radke, P. J. Lein, M. Y. Dennis. In press, November 2020.

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• Low level methylmercury exposure alters steady state levels of ion channel mRNA in the cerebellum and brainstem of the developing rat. A. Colón-Rodríguez, Y. Yuan, and W. D. Atchison. In progress.