Livingstone Undergraduate Research Award in STEM
Livingstone Undergraduate Research Award in STEM
Olivia Cisler
Treatment Optimization of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) Using Neurosteroids
View Olivia’s project online
My project focuses on optimizing a solution for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) using the neurosteroid allopregnanolone. I started my research by doing a deep dive into the physiology behind what causes PMDD, before compiling a list of solutions. I created tables and graphics to compare them in order to end up with the most effective and research-backed solution: allopregnanolone.
What is your major and expected year of graduation?
My major is bioengineering with a pre-health concentration and I am expected to graduate in spring 2027.
What inspired you to pursue your project?
I was inspired to pursue this project due to my own personal experiences with PMDD, as well as it being a disorder that helps bridge the gap between mental health and biological conditions. I also found it important to focus on an issue that is underrepresented in medical research, which is a common theme among women’s health conditions.
How did the Libraries support your research?
The Temple Libraries supported my research by allowing me access to a variety of sources to help expand my research. Without them, I would not have been able to access many full text articles that were extremely beneficial in doing my project. Also, the Libraries’ organized page for bioengineers gave me a great starting point to find credible databases that held an abundance of resources useful for my paper.
Olivia Cisler’s Technical Communication project was sparked by human need: some women experience premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a more severe variation of premenstrual syndrome, but current treatments aren’t always effective and aren’t widely accessible. Challenges to solving these problems are that PMDD affects both mental and physical health, and further, issues of manufacturing and cost sometimes reduce the availability of potential treatments. Olivia thus needed to analyze a wide range of studies, making nuanced comparisons and recommendations. Her clear writing and use of Creative Commons images helped to communicate this analysis to readers. Her paper concluded by describing possible future studies, so the project also invites other researchers to extend Olivia’s great work.
-Geoff Keston, Adjunct Associate Professor, College of Engineering
This category covers research methods used in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. For the sciences, submissions will include a review of the relevant literature and a description of experimental results obtained through the scientific method. Technology and engineering submissions may take the form of a technical report or design document.
This award is generously sponsored by John H. Livingstone, SBM ’49.