Inside a University of Akron biology lab, Rolando Ramirez, a biomedical science undergraduate student, studied a detailed image of retinal tissue, a thin layer at the back of the eye that converts light into signals sent to the brain.
He traces the path of a single cell as it connects to others in a microscopic circuit that helps the eye send those signals.
The work is complex — and it’s being done in Professor and Biology Chair Jordan Renna’s lab.
Undergraduate and sometimes high school students are getting early access in the University of Akron’s biology department to research typically reserved for graduate students.
This allows the students to participate directly in scientific discovery while building skills for future careers in science and medicine.
Their work focuses on how retinal cells communicate, research that could help scientists better understand how the brain processes visual signals from these cells that enable vision and what happens when those connections break down in diseases that can lead to vision loss or blindness.
Involving undergraduate students in research allows them to gain hands-on experience while building the skills needed for future careers in science and medicine.
“We’re training the next generation of scientists and critical thinkers,” Renna said. “Students learn how to design and test hypotheses, collect and analyze data, read scientific literature and present their work.”
Undergraduates gaining hands-on research experience
Ramirez is studying a type of retinal neuron known as a bipolar cell, mapping how it communicates with other cells in the retina and passes visual signals deeper into the eye’s circuitry.
“I’m basically picking out one cell and identifying each connection it makes so we can understand how it fits into the whole circuit,” Ramirez said.
Working in the lab has helped Ramirez better understand complex neuroscience concepts.
“It’s given me a lot of experience working on something really complex with more experienced people guiding me through it,” he said.
Ramirez said he plans to attend medical school and sees his time in the lab as a way to strengthen his critical thinking skills. He said the experience has also introduced him to areas of medicine, such as eye-related fields, that may influence his future path.
Training the next generation of scientists
For some students, that early research experience can shape their academic path.
Kendall Farley, a master’s student, joined the lab during her sophomore year after learning about the university’s tiered mentoring program. She was not familiar with the retina but was interested enough in the lab’s work to apply.
Over time, the experience changed how Farley approached neuroscience research.
“My understanding of visual processing and neuroscience has really exceeded whatever I thought it could have been before,” she said.
Now a graduate student, she also helps mentor undergraduates in the lab while continuing her own research.
“In graduate school I feel much more confident in my work,” she said. “This lab really taught me how to analyze data and think like a researcher.”
Students work with emerging scientific techniques
Researchers in the lab use an advanced imaging technique that allows scientists to map connections between individual neurons, a fundamental working unit of the brain and nervous system, in the retina. The work was named “Method of the Year” in 2025 by the journal Nature Methods, highlighting its growing importance across scientific fields.
“This is cutting-edge scientific research that’s really pushing the field forward,” Renna said. “We’re identifying circuits and connections that people didn’t even know existed.”
The work also provides a rare opportunity for students to participate directly in emerging scientific techniques. The lab’s tiered mentoring structure also gives graduate students opportunities to guide younger researchers.
Laurence Johnson, a Ph.D. student in the biology department, works closely with undergraduates as they analyze retinal images and map neural connections.
“I enjoy guiding them through the project, and it’s really rewarding to see them present their work.”
He added that the research has also helped him develop advanced skills in data analysis and neuroanatomy.
Why studying the retina matters for understanding vision
Understanding how the cells are connected in the retina helps scientists explain how the brain processes visual signals.
“Think about it like the city of Akron,” Renna said. “The city is like the retina, and the roads and traffic lights are the pathways that allow signals to move through it.”
For the students working in Renna’s lab, tracing those pathways is more than an academic exercise – it’s a chance to contribute to cutting-edge research while preparing for careers in science and medicine.