Evan Morris

Where did you complete your undergraduate degree?
Washington University in St. Louis 

Please provide your lab and description of research
Dr. Adam Bauer Lab. My research focuses on using optical methods of measuring neuronal and hemodynamic activity during concurrent monitoring of behavioral output to assess how behavioral recovery, following stroke, is associated with circuit-level mechanisms of brain repair. 

What played into your decision to get a graduate engineering degree?
After graduating WashU with my BS in BME, I continued working with my research lab that I worked with during my senior year. After making significant progress in my project, I was excited to continue working on it, expanding it to a thesis project.

Why did you pick WashU?
Since high school, I have always been interested in the biomedical sciences. As a leading institution in clinical and translational research, WashU was a natural fit to pursue my interests in imaging research with applications to diseases, such as stroke. 

What is your favorite thing about St. Louis?
Forest park. There are a wide variety of activities and events within the park that allow me to stay active outside of research.

What advice would you give to a new student?
Be prepared to fail. Not everything will work on the first try, but it is important to understand what went wrong when things don't work. This is crucial for making progressive improvement in experimental design that would facilitate successful outcomes in the future.

What campus activities or groups would you recommend to a new student?
AGES. It is a great organization for students to meet and interact with other graduate students in the engineering school!

What are your plans for the future?
I am currently undecided whether I will continue academia or work in industry following graduation. I intend to pursue a post-doc position, however, to help facilitate this decision.