CLAUDIA SILVER
Thesis: Does Pre- and/or Postnatal Exposure to Cannabidiol Influence Changes in Olfactory Sensory Neurons or Success of Birth?
Thesis Director: Dr. Debra Fadool, Department of Biological Science
"I am so thankful to have been a Fall 2021 recipient of the Bess. H Ward Honors Thesis Award. This award gave me the opportunity to further my research and acquire a significant amount of materials that allowed me to defend my thesis by Spring of 2022. My thesis, which examined if prenatal exposure to cannabidiol affected success of birth or development of the olfactory system, required the use of various equipment and chemicals such as dishes, ethanol, and clearing reagents. The dishes were used to place the CBD/jam mixture in so the mice could consume the drug, the ethanol was needed to dissolve the CBD in jam since CBD is an oil, and the clearing reagents were chemicals required to stain and subsequently image the axonal projections for quantification of any changes in the olfactory system. Without the help of this award, my research project would not have moved as quickly as it did, and I am so grateful to have been a recipient of this award. Future research in the lab will further examine my topic, and this award made it possible for me to help with its foundation. The support of the donors who made this award possible gives so many undergraduate students the opportunity to pursue research at FSU, which is a life changing experience that I am forever appreciative of."
-Claudia Silver, Fall 2021 Bess H. Ward Thesis Award Winner