Student Spotlight: Kaitlin Moredock '11
Not many students can say that mouse brains helped in their decision to come to law school. For me, however, they played a significant role in my path to NDLS. As a biology and psychology major at the University of Dayton, I conducted a significant amount of scientific research on the expression of certain molecular water channels, called aquaporins, in the brain during the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease. To do so, I collaborated with experts in the field of Alzheimer’s research, who provided me with the brains of mice that had been bred to express a human gene that has been shown to lead to Alzheimer’s Disease.
When I was doing the research and then presenting it at conferences, I realized that I was interested in the broader policy concerns that were implicated by biological research, such as care standards in nursing homes and federal funding for alternative treatment options. I came to Notre Dame Law School because the religious nature of the school provides a ripe atmosphere for the study of bioethics, the intersection between advances in biological technology and public policy. Already in my first year I have been able to attend a speech by Professor Carter Snead, faculty member and former member of the President’s Council on Bioethics, about abortion jurisprudence in the U.S. This speech led to heated discussions with my classmates, and the formation of a bioethics student interest group.
In addition, I have begun work on the Guardianship Advocacy Project under Professor Michael Jenuwine. This project will allow me to continue my work on Alzheimer’s by doing comparative research on varying standards in Indiana counties for guardians for people with dementia. Eventually, we hope to use these findings to propose state legislation on behalf of people with dementia. Notre Dame Law School has helped me to explore the areas of law to which I am drawn and enabled me to get involved within my first months here.
