Unlocking the mysteries of the human brain

Posted by
On February 4, 2024

Angela Rayle

Angela Rayle is a Kummer Innovation and Entrepreneurship Doctoral Fellow and doctoral student in physics. She’s part of a National Science Foundation-funded computational project that studies the network of serotonin-releasing fibers within the brain. Photo by Micheal Pierce, Missouri S&T.

Inspired by TED Talks and driven to build happiness in addition to but beyond her role of mother and homemaker, Angela Rayle’s journey to S&T was guided by a nagging, recurring question: If she didn’t have to work for money, what would she do with her life?

“I realized I’d go to school and learn,” says Rayle, who began taking classes in math, which comes naturally, then physics, which she says also comes naturally.

Today, Rayle, 35, who has a spouse, a home and three children born within five years of one another – the eldest is now 12 – is a Kummer Innovation and Entrepreneurship Doctoral Fellow and doctoral student in physics.

She’s part of a National Science Foundation-funded computational project that studies the network of serotonin-releasing fibers within the brain. Among other things, her role requires her to program simulations and visualize geometry—important steps on the path to creating the beginnings of a map that will be further developed by future researchers.

“The map will help us move away from treating mental health issues simply with chemicals, and hopefully toward understanding what those chemicals mean to a specific brain,” she says.

Rayle believes the study will help pave the way for advancements in physics, biology, neuroscience and mathematics. And she hopes her work will contribute to breakthroughs in the understanding and approach to treatment for conditions in the brain affected by serotonin levels, including major depressive disorder, autism spectrum disorder and epilepsy.

She hopes the work will also reset the prevailing perception of brains.

“It would be helpful to move away from seeing brains as either good or broken,” she says. “There are different brains that require different treatment.”

For now, Rayle says being part of the research team has helped her achieve an important balance: She’s a mother and a spouse who is also working to solve problems that directly affect millions of people.

“The fellowship program makes it possible for me to pursue my degree and my research while also meeting all my other responsibilities,” she says. “It also provides opportunities for social activities, professional development and personalized mentoring.”

She encourages others who enjoy learning to pursue what interests them.

“I am so content with the life I have,” she says. “It’s more work than I expected, but it’s not unmanageable. I like what I’m doing. I have a community. I’m finding out who I am in science.”

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On February 4, 2024.

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