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Meet Monell: Amber Alhadeff on How the Gut and Brain Influence What We Eat and When

As a neuroscientist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, Dr. Amber Alhadeff studies how communication between the gut and brain influences feeding behavior.

In this Meet Monell interview, Alhadeff discusses her lab’s research on the neural circuits that control food intake, recent discoveries that could improve obesity treatments, and her commitment to mentoring the next generation of scientists through Monell’s Science Apprenticeship Program.

SENSE MAKING

Join us for Sense Making, Monell’s new podcast.

Episode Two – Your Body Is Talking to Your Environment Right Now

Welcome to Sense Making, the monthly podcast from the Monell Center, where familiar questions become surprising explorations of the science behind our senses.

This episode begins with a deceptively simple question: Why does your health depend on the health of the world around you?

Through conversations with Monell scientists and environmental historians, host Christopher Maute explores the One Health framework: the idea that human health, animal health, and environmental health are not separate systems, but one interconnected whole.

From how disease changes the chemical signals our bodies release, to the remarkable ability of animals to detect illness, to the ways pollution reshapes animal behavior and ecosystems, this episode reveals how invisible chemical cues connect every living organism to its environment. Along the way, you’ll discover how public health has always been intertwined with the quality of our air, water, and shared surroundings, and why understanding these connections is more important than ever.

Chemosensory Science in Your Classroom, and on the Big Screen!

We teamed up with Macgillivray Freeman Films, with generous support from the Ambrose Monell Foundation, to bring forth the IMAX feature film Super Human Body: World of Medical Marvels and related educational content.

As a result of this collaboration, educators, learners, and our partners and supporters around the world now have access to ten short videos about the science of taste, smell, and related senses and a 30-minute overview of research across the Monell Chemical Senses Center.

Visit the following links to explore a world of marvels in the science of the senses!

Introducing the Dr. Charis Eng Monell Science Apprenticeship Program

Dr. Charis Eng Monell Science Apprenticeship Program Logo

A bold new chapter for Monell’s signature summer research program: New name, Same inspiring summer research experience.

Formerly known as MSAP, the newly renamed Dr. Charis Eng Monell Science Apprenticeship Program honors Dr. Charis Eng and reflects more than four decades of scientific mentorship, discovery, and opportunity.

Through immersive, paid research experiences, high school and undergraduate apprentices work alongside Monell scientists while exploring careers in biomedical science, medicine, and health research.

The Latest in Taste and Smell Science

A Message from the Executive Director

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Joel Mainland, PhD, and Robert Pellegrino, PhD

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