DATE Lab Chats: Our New Lab Member

Every year, the DATE Lab welcomes undergraduate students from the Human Biology Department at the University of Toronto looking to complete their senior project as part of their graduation requirements. In the past, we have welcomed students majoring in various subjects including neuroscience, immunology, health and disease and genetics.

This month, we sat down with our newest HMB student and asked him some fun questions to get to know him.

Meet Melvyn Tafri!

What is your role in the lab?

I'm an Undergraduate Student Researcher with the DATE Lab, and at the moment I'm helping with developing goal-setting functionality & feasibility testing for the self-management app DataDay!

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

In my spare time I enjoy listening to music, reading books, or spending time in nature.

If you could invite any scientist (dead or alive) to dinner, who would it be?

Definitely Stephen Hawking.

What is your favourite science ‘fun fact’?

The fact that DNA stretched out would be almost 2 meters long!

If you could attend a research conference anywhere in the world, where would it be?

If it was theoretically possible to have an underwater conference in a transparent glass dome, that would be my choice! Otherwise, somewhere in South America or Asia!

What made you interested in dementia research?

I was mostly interested in combining my academic background in neuroscience with my clinical background in geriatric care! I had also had a budding interest in research and wanted to get involved to see what the process is like!

What 3 key search words describe your project?

Dementia/mild cognitive impairment, self-management, goal-setting