Martha majored in Neuroscience and Behavior as an undergraduate at Mount Holyoke College. She earned her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Minnesota, where she studied in the Laboratory of Timothy Ebner. She completed her postdoctoral training in the Laboratory of Esther Krook-Magnuson, and in 2023, she  joined the Department of Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota as a tenure track Assistant Professor. When she isn't daydreaming about cerebellar physiology, Martha enjoys baking sourdough, brewing beer, talking to her cats, and watching her wife perform with Ballet Co.Laboratory 

Eleftheria graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 2023 with a major in Neuroscience and Behavior and a minor in Psychology, and she joined the Streng Lab in March 2024. Eleftheria is very excited to participate in in-vivo imaging experiments because these are techniques she hasn't worked on before. Outside of the lab Eleftheria enjoys cooking (mostly greek food), hanging out with friends and taking walks.

Alyssa graduated from Truman State University in 2020 with a B.S. in Biology. She Earned her Ph.D. in Neuroscience in 2024 from the University of Minnesota, where she studied respiratory dysfunction in mouse models of Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) in the laboratories of Drs. Marija Cvetanovic and Harry Orr. Her thesis research has been described as "amazing" by Bill Nye the Science Guy.  Alyssa joined the Streng Lab in September of 2024 as a NIH T32 postdoctoral fellow and her research focuses on using optical techniques to characterize mechanisms of cerebellar dysfunction in mouse models of SCA1. In her free time Alyssa enjoys reading, hiking, and spending time with friends and family. 

Christine is a 2nd year student in the Graduate Program in Neuroscience. Mentored by both Dr. Streng and Dr. Harry Orr, her research interests surround serotonin modulation in the cerebellum and how stress physiology can impact Spinocerebellar Ataxia 1 and Epilepsy. Christine graduated from University of California, Davis in 2021 with a BS in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior with a minor in Asian American Studies. Prior to UMN, Christine was a postbac researcher with Dr. Jennifer Whistler at UC Davis. Christine's research focused on how chronic morphine exposure and subsequent abstinence can induce experience-dependent myelination in the striatum. Outside of grad school, Christine enjoys cooking and trying new restaurants, weightlifting, attending sports and music events, and indulging in all the lakes Minnesota has to offer. 

Ben Kottke is a first year student in the Graduate Program in Neuroscience. Ben graduated from Luther College in 2020 with a BA in Biology and Spanish. Ben joined the Streng lab at its creation in November of 2023 and worked as a technician until joining the Graduate Program in Neuroscience in Fall 2024. He returned to the Streng lab for his PhD research in May 2025. As a technician, along with helping to manage the lab, Ben ran immunohistochemistry projects, developed DeepLab Cut trainers for behavioral assays, and performed in vivo calcium imaging in mouse models of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. Previous to the Streng lab, Ben worked in the labs of Dr. Krook-Magnuson and Dr. Ebner learning various techniques to analyze behavior and neural circuitry in mouse models of Essential Tremor, Epilepsy and Traumatic Brain Injury.

Tori is a 4th year undergraduate student majoring in Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota. She joined the Streng lab in May 2025 and is assisting Alyssa Soles with her project. Tori's primary responsibilities include habituating mice to the behavioral setup and analyzing reaching behavior in DeepLabCut. She is particularly interested in how specific neural circuits underlie complex motor behaviors and neurological disorders. Her aim is to sharpen her technical, computational, and behavioral neuroscience skills as she works toward a future career in neuroscience research. In her free time she likes playing soccer and volleyball, hiking, camping, and enjoys being outside.

Yaretzi is a rising third-year student at San Diego City College majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Neuroscience. She is interested in applying engineering tools to study brain biomechanics, neural circuits, and neurodegeneration, with a focus on developing technologies to better understand and treat memory-related disorders like Alzheimer’s. This summer, she joins the Streng Lab through the Life Sciences Summer Undergraduate Research Program (LSSURP) to explore cerebellar network function. Prior to joining the Streng Lab, Yaretzi conducted research on pulmonary arterial hypertension at UC San Diego and traumatic brain injury at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Outside of academics, Yaretzi enjoys biking, volunteering in her community, and mentoring other first-generation students in STEM.

Lucas Zecker is a research technician in the Ebner lab, but can be found around our lab from time to time, usually making lists of computer parts and putting said computers together because he finds it quote, "fun."