For Carpenter’s high school capstone project, she had the opportunity to observe and shadow Dr. Schmidt and other members of the Schmidt lab team. Carpenter’s project involved researching an “essential question” for possible answers and solutions. Her question was, “how do substance use disorder in animals change due to the environment and social interactions that these animals have?” Through her research, Carpenter was able to learn more about a field that she is very interested in pursuing and used the words “intriguing” and “inspiring” to describe her experience shadowing the Schmidt Lab.

“I hope to take the experiences and knowledge I have acquired from the Schmidt Lab with me as I continue on to my future endeavors and career path,” says Carpenter.

Carpenter will be attending the University of Pittsburgh this fall with the intentions to study neuroscience. We wish her the best of luck in Pittsburgh and a huge congratulations on the completion of a fantastic project in the lab!