Neurological and psychiatric disorders collectively burden an estimated 3.4 billion individuals globally, but the circuit-level mechanisms driving many of these disorders remain poorly characterized. A bottleneck is the lack of a complete, synapse-resolution map of mammalian brain connectivity. Existing tissue-sectioning approaches either sacrifice spatial resolution or throughput, making practical whole-brain processing infeasible. The Culpepper Lab is addressing this by developing a rotary laser-based microtome capable of nanometer-scale brain tissue sectioning. My project involves designing and characterizing a custom printed circuit board that implements a closed-loop analog controller for the nanopositioner. A central design requirement of this project is flexibility – the control hardware must be capable of accommodating a range of actuator types, mechanical loads, and axis configurations. Anticipated deliverables include a validated schematic and simulation, a fabricated and populated board, and an experimental dataset characterizing closed-loop frequency response, noise floor, step response for different actuator types and flexure stage topologies, and positional repeatability across the relevant operating range.

Participating in a SuperUROP gives me the opportunity to take ownership of year-long research project, deepening my knowledge in analog electronics, controls theory, and PCB design. It also gives me the platform to improve my communication, presentation, and scientific writing skills.