SoS 245: Anamika Nanda - From Pool Laps to Brain Maps

In this episode, Chris and Cristina talk with Anamika Nanda, a PhD student in the Department of Biological Sciences and a Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) Fellow at the University of Southern California. Anamika’s research, conducted under the guidance of Dr. David Raichlen, examines how physical activity affects neurological health across various genotypes. Before beginning her doctoral work, Anamika earned her Bachelor's degree in Medical Anthropology and Global Health from the University of Washington. Her award-winning honors thesis examined the relationship between motivation, physical activity, and psychosocial stress, and its impact on telomere length in collegiate swimmers and non-collegiate athletes. We discuss her path into science, her interdisciplinary approach to understanding brain health, and how her work connects athletics, stress, and aging. Anamika’s research has been recognized with an NSF-GRFP Honorable Mention, the UW Anthropology Department’s Best Honors Thesis Award, and a Mary Gates Research Scholarship. Tune in for an insightful conversation on the biology of movement, the value of interdisciplinary research, and what it means to study sports from a holistic perspective. ------------------------------ Find the paper discussed in this episode: Nanda, A., Logan, A., & Tennyson, R. L. (2024). The influence of perceived stress and motivation on telomere length among NCAA swimmers. American Journal of Human Biology, 36(9), e24091. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.24091 ------------------------------ Contact Anamika: E-mail: anamikan@usc.edu; LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anamika-nanda-168b9b199 ------------------------------ Contact the Sausage of Science Podcast and Human Biology Association: Facebook: facebook.com/groups/humanbiologyassociation/, Website: humbio.org, Twitter: @HumBioAssoc Chris Lynn, Host Website: cdlynn.people.ua.edu/, E-mail: cdlynn@ua.edu, Twitter:@Chris_Ly Cristina Gildee, Co-host, SoS Co-Producer, HBA Junior Fellow Website: cristinagildee.org, E-mail: cgildee@uw.edu