Neuroscience alumna applies Wooster skills to ALS research

Ph.D. candidate Hannah Greenland ’21 spends her time at Indiana University School of Medicine researching Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a nervous system and neurodegenerative disease that affects motor skills and impacts nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Specifically looking at ALS proteins in mouse and cell models, Greenland hopes to help people with ALS by understanding how the proteins affect spinal motor neurons. “I’m lucky to enjoy what I do. It’s very personal,” shared Greenland. “My work is fascinating because it’s a developing field and there are a lot of ways that this can be seen in the future.” Her fascination with neuroscience and the idea of helping people with her research influenced her search for colleges, shaping both her undergrad and post-grad education path.

A neuroscience major and French and Francophone studies minor at The College of Wooster, Greenland noticed the College when looking for small institutions with a recognized neuroscience path. “I knew I wanted to go into neuroscience right away,” said Greenland. “Wooster was one of the only small colleges that offered the program.” Her immediate connection to the faculty and students she met during visits to campus helped solidify her choice. “I found myself interested in what students were pursuing with their studies, and I wanted to be part of that.”

As a STEM major and humanities minor, Greenland’s college curriculum consisted of classes with a multi-disciplinary view of the world. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down in-person classes and limited lab time, Greenland had to learn how to complete research and lab work in a very different environment than she was used to. Completing her senior I.S., titled “SWS2 and LWS mRNA Sequences in Red and Blue Betta Splendens,” in this controlled environment may have been stressful, but Greenland appreciated the time she did have to work on her project. “Living on campus during this time, I went into lab to do my research despite labs for classes not being in-person,” said Greenland. “It gave me somewhere else to go on campus, gave me another reason to be there.”

Greenland’s I.S. was a way for Greenland to get back to her researching interests during this time of stress. Focused on observing different colors and genes of betta fish, Greenland wanted to find out if the color of betta fish impacted their recognition of other fish of the same color, emphasizing the cross-section between vision and pigmentation. While Greenland found no conclusive evidence of this, her work with I.S. prepared her for her current work as a Ph.D. candidate at Indiana University School of Medicine, where she has been working towards a degree in medical neuroscience since 2022. “There’s a culture of curiosity in all different areas of my work, and Wooster made me want to continue researching even after getting my bachelor’s degree,” said Greenland. “Wooster really helped me think this was possible and enjoy the journey of completing my own research.”

Meeting Indiana University representatives while at a graduate research event at Wooster, Greenland praises the College for its ability to connect students to post-grad opportunities. “Sometimes you do little things and don’t know the result until the future,” said Greenland. “I got really lucky.” With her current work, Greenland is able to build off the preliminary research skills she learned from the College. “I find my work rewarding, and I’m enjoying the research process even through daily struggles and failures. I’m nowhere close to being done, but I go in everyday, do my work, and try again the next day,” Greenland shared. “Wooster gave me the opportunity to learn about research, not just through I.S., but my classes.”

Featured image: Hannah Greenland ’21, photo provided by subject.

Posted in Alumni on January 28, 2026.