Adapted from a story from the College of Science.

“If you close your eyes and put your fingers together above your head, you know exactly where the tips of your fingers are, right? That property is called ‘proprioception’; your body knows where your limbs are in three-dimensional space. The same property is there for fish too. They know exactly where they’re swimming in a three-dimensional space, and that helps them navigate.

When I explain my work with cone snail venom to students, I use this simple example to explain the concept of proprioception, an aspect of the fish’s neurology that the snail’s venom targets. Finding relatable examples is a vital science communication skill for teaching and presenting research findings, but I didn’t learn to do it through science. I learned it through dancing.

I’m part of the ensemble of Nitya Nritya Foundation, a group that promotes and performs classical Indian dance and music. This style of dance requires an exact understanding of how one’s limbs are positioned. which gave me an easy way to talk about my research with the dozens of students I mentor through the Science Research Initiative.

Communicating our science to the public is more important than it’s ever been before. I try to instill this value in students by taking them on field trips to elementary and middle schools to do small experiments. It’s important that they learn how to simplify—not dumb down—their work for different audiences.

My emphasis on adaptation and communication was inspired by my own education journey. After finishing my undergrad in South India at Sastra Deemed University, I got an opportunity to work alongside Toto Olivera here at the U. I was catapulted to the other side of the globe, across cultures and into a strange, new climate—my first week in Utah was also my first experience of a terrible snowstorm!

I also had to adapt my research focus. I came into the Olivera lab with an interest in industrial biotechnology. I quickly became fascinated with marine biology and began exploring how snail venom can impact the brain.

It’s been 15 years since that Utah snowstorm “welcomed” me. I hope my work will lead to a better understanding of how medicines interact with the brain, and that by following how snail venom targets specific areas of the mind, we can create drugs that do the same in a positive manner. It’s a chaotic path that changes constantly, but at this stage in my career, I am well-versed in its rhythm, and I try to teach my students to move and sway to wherever this dance of discovery may take them.”

—Shrinivasan “Cheenu” Raghuraman, research associate professor, School of Biological Sciences

Photos by Ravi Dharbhamulla/Nitya Nritya Foundation

• David Pace writer, College of Science
  801-520-0277 david.pace@utah.edu