Dr. Anne M. Andrews grew up in Pittsburgh and became interested in the sciences, especially chemistry, in middle school. She attended The Pennsylvania State University and graduated with a B.S. in Science in August 1985. The following year, Dr. Andrews attended George Washington University, Sino-Soviet Institute for graduate courses in Russian Area Studies. When she realized how much she missed studying the sciences, she transferred to The American University in 1987and received her Ph.D. in Chemistry in May 1993. Dr. Andrews’ Thesis was entitled, “The Neurotoxic Effects of 1-Methyl-4-(2’-aminopheyl)-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (2’-NH2-MPTP) on Brain Serotonin & Norepinephrine in Mice”. From 1990-1993 Dr. Andrews was a U.S. Department of Education Fellow and from 1989-1993, she also held an NIH Predoctoral Fellowship in the Section on Clinical Neuropharmacology, Laboratory of Clinical Science at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in Bethesda, MD. Dr. Andrews continued there for a Postdoctoral Fellowship from 1993-1997. Since June of 1998, Dr. Andrews has been at Penn State and where she is currently an Assistant Professor of Chemistry. She is also affiliated with the Life Sciences Consortium Neuroscience & Molecular Toxicology Programs.
Her professional experience includes working as an intern in the Toxicology and Forensic Pathology Departments at the Pittsburgh Coroner’s in 1984 and working as an analytical chemist at Hazleton Laboratories in Vienna, VA from 1986-1988. Dr. Andrews was also a Senior Staff Fellow, Section on Clinical Neuropharmacology, Laboratory of Clinical Science, National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, MD in 1998.
Dr. Andrews’ research concentrates on the neurochemistry of the brain serotonin system. Her research group is trying to make the role of serotonin and its interactions with other neurotransmitter systems in the modulation of complex behavior more clear. Hopefully through their research, more information will be gained about the etiology and treatment of anxiety disorders and neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. Dr. Andrews and her research group study genetically engineered mice and selective neurotoxicologic agents as models of normative, disease and regenerative processes.
Dr. Andrews’ research group currently consists of ten students from a multidisciplinary background. Of the graduate students, three are in Chemistry and two are in Neuroscience. The undergraduate majors represented include Chemistry, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. If you would like to be a part of Dr. Andrews’ research group, there are no specific prerequisites. However, she is interested in undergraduates who are willing to commit to working in her group for several years and in prospective graduate students who have a strong interest in the analytical chemistry and the final frontier: The Magnificent Human Brain! More information can be obtained at her website, http://research.chem.psu.edu/amagroup/.