We believe that science is for all

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The Carrillo Lab is dedicated to expanding access to science at every level. From community-based initiatives like South Side Science Festival, to working with local high schools, all the way to advancing undergraduate and graduate careers, we are focused on forging the next generation of scientists for a better, brighter, and more diverse future.

Learn about some of the ways we engage with our communities below:

Neuroscience Early Enrichment and Training Opportunity (NEETO)

Developed in 2022, NEETO is a two-week summer program designed for local Chicago high school students and their teachers. Each summer, rising 11th and 12th grade students and one teacher are awarded fellowships to facilitate participation in neurobiological research. Students gain hands-on laboratory experience, build a foundation in neuroscience concepts, and learn how diseases can be studied using animal model systems. During the academic year, the NEETO program brings hands-on activities to high schools on Chicago’s Southwest side.

To learn more, visit the NEETO website.

Developing Access to Research in Neuroscience (DARN)

In collaboration with several University of Puerto Rico (UPR) faculty and the Leadership Alliance program at UChicago, we developed the the UChicago-UPR Developing Access to Research in Neuroscience (DARN) program in 2022. The DARN program takes advantage of the breadth and depth of neurobiology research across various departments at UChicago to facilitate a 10-week immersive research experience. This hands-on lab work is supplemented with professional development workshops, networking opportunities, and personalized mentoring from Dr. Carrillo and graduate students. A unique part of DARN is that fellows will also be near-peer mentored by current UChicago graduate students (some of whom are from Puerto Rico) to gain insight into graduate school and beyond.

To learn more, visit the DARN website.

Other ways we engage with our communities:

South Side Science Festival (S3F) is a free, yearly outdoor even to showcase the rich variety of STEM-related activities at the University of Chicago. In its short history, S3F has impacted the lives of thousands of children and families, giving them transparent access into how science is conducted. We at the Carrillo lab, in collaboration with the Heckscher Lab, have regularly volunteered to demonstrate our own research to the community with larval crawling races, “cool bug” expos, and more!