Rising third year graduate students Brayan Ruiz Lopez (Southwell Lab) and Sharon Powley (Scott-Hewitt Lab), and rising fifth year student Shuoyi Li (Mooney Lab), have each been selected to receive a 2026 Ruth K. Broad Foundation Research Award. The year-long award covers graduate student stipend, health insurance, and tuition remission and supports students conducting high potential basic or translational research in neuroscience. Ruiz's project, “Molecular and Functional Characterization of Interstitial White Matter Neurons in the Human Neocortex,” aims to define these neurons' molecular identities and functional properties in live human cortical tissue. Li's project, "Neural circuits for motivating skilled movements" uses zebra finch song to study how the hypothalamus acts as a motivational hub, routing signals through distinct dopamine pathways to drive spontaneous versus socially driven vocal behavior. Powley’s project, “C1q as a Novel Regulator of Ribosomal Protein Dynamics in Health and Neurodegeneration,” will explore how C1q—a secreted immune protein taken up by neurons—may help maintain protein balance by supporting ribosome function and reducing stress in cells. The study will also examine whether long-term stress from amyloid-β buildup in Alzheimer’s disease overwhelms this protective mechanism.