Contact Information:
The George Washington University
Department of Anthropology
schenker@gwu.edu
Current Position
· Postdoctoral scientist in the Laboratory for Evolutionary Neuroanatomy, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University
Education
1995-2000 University of
B.S. in Zoology & Physiology
B.M. in Music Performance
2000-2002 University of
M.A. in Anthropology
2002-2007 University of
Ph.D. in Anthropology
Research
· Current project
o
Mapping of Broca’s area and its
homolog in chimpanzee areas--executing multiple stages of projects, from
tissue sectioning, staining, and mounting through to microscopic analysis and
co-registration of histological data with MR images
· Dissertation research
o Comparative Neuroanatomy of Broca’s Area in Hominoids
· Other projects
o Graduate research assistant on a project examining the histology of the frontal lobe of normal and autistic human brains in association with Katerina Semendeferi and Eric Courchesne.
o Use of the Brainvox program to trace regions of interest in structural MRI scans of nonhuman primate brains under the supervision of Katerina Semendeferi
o
Graduate research assistant for Karen Emmorey in the Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience, Salk
Institute for Biological Studies,
o Examination of the histology of the frontal lobe of normal and autistic human brains in association with Katerina Semendeferi and Eric Courchesne
· Undergraduate research
o Quantitative genetic analysis of black-footed ferrets on metric traits and their correlation with reproductive performance under the supervision of Steve Buskirk and Samantha Wisely, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming.
o
Research on microsatellite DNA, with particular
attention to the relatedness of individuals, in a population of fishers from
the Rogue River area under the supervision of Steve Buskirk
and Samantha Wisely, Department of Zoology and Physiology,
o
Research on cedar waxwing physiology and
metabolism with Carlos Martinez del Rio, Department of Zoology and Physiology,
Teaching
· Summer 2006—Course instructor at UCSD for ANLD 2, Human Origins
· Fall 2005--Teaching assistant at UCSD for ANBI 140, Evolution of the Human Brain, Instructor: Katerina Semendeferi
· Spring 2003--Teaching assistant at UCSD for ANBI 173, Cognition in Animals and Humans, Instructor: Shirley Strum
· Winter 2003--Teaching assistant at UCSD for ANLD 2, Human Origins, Instructor: Katerina Semendeferi
· Fall 2002--Teaching assistant at UCSD for ANLD 1, Introduction to Culture, Instructor: Joel Robbins
· Spring 2002--Teaching assistant at UCSD for ANLD 3, World Prehistory, Instructor: Paul Goldstein
· Winter 2002--Teaching assistant at UCSD for ANBI 100, Peopling of Australia, Instructor: Donald Pate
· Fall 2001--Teaching assistant at UCSD for ANBI 100, DNA and Human Evolution, Instructor: Pascal Gagneux
Professional Memberships
· Society for Neuroscience--2004-present
· American Association of Physical Anthropologists--2006-present
Publications
· Semendeferi, K., Lu, A., Schenker, N., and H. Damasio. 2002. Humans and great apes share a large frontal cortex. Nature Neuroscience. 5:272-276.
·
Emmorey, K., Allen,
J., Bruss, J., Schenker, N., and H. Damasio. 2003. A morphometric
analysis of auditory brain regions in congenitally deaf adults. Proceedings
of the
· Schenker, N. M., Desgouttes, A., and K. Semendeferi. 2005. Neural connectivity and cortical substrates of cognition in hominoids. Journal of Human Evolution. 49(5):547-569.
· Buxhoeveden, D.P., Semendeferi, K., Buckwalter, J., Schenker, N., Switzer, R., Courchesne, E. (2006) Reduced minicolumns in the frontal cortex of patients with autism. Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology 32:483-491.
·
Schenker, N. M., Sherwood, C. C.,
· Hopkins, W. D., Taglialatela, J. P., Meguerditchian, A., Nir, T., Schenker, N. M., and C. C. Sherwood. (in press) Gray Matter Asymmetries in Chimpanzees as Revealed by Voxel-Based Morphology. Neuroimage.
· Schenker, N. M., Buxhoeveden, D. P., Amunts, K., Zilles, K., and K. Semendeferi. (in press). A comparative quantitative analysis of cytoarchitectonics and minicolumnar organization in Broca's area in humans and great apes. Journal of Comparative Neurology.
Conference Abstracts
· Schenker, N. M., Buxhoeveden, D. P., Amunts K., Zilles, K. and Semendeferi, K. 2007. A comparative analysis of cytoarchitecture and vertical organization of Broca's area in humans, great apes and macaques. American Association of Physical Anthropology Meetings.
· Schenker, N. M., Buxhoeveden, D. P., and K. Semendeferi. 2006. Minicolumns in Broca’s area in apes and humans. American Association of Physical Anthropology Meetings.
· Barger, N., Stefanacci, L., Schenker, N., and K. Semendeferi. 2004. Comparative morphometric analysis of the ape and human amygdala and its basolateral division. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts. 30.
· Buxhoeveden, D., Semendeferi, K., Schenker, N., and E. Courchesne. 2004. Decreased cell column spacing in Autism. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts. 30.
· Teffer, K., Schenker, N., and K. Semendeferi. 2004. A comparative volumetric analysis of the cornu ammonis, dentate gyrus, and subiculum of the hippocampus in the hominoids. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts. 30.
· Barger, N., Stefanacci, L., Schenker, N., and K. Semendeferi. 2004. Comparative volumetric analysis of the hominoid amygdala. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 120(S36):59.
· Teffer, K., Schenker, N., and K. Semendeferi. 2004. A comparative volumetric analysis of the human and ape hippocampus. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 120(S36):194.
· Emmorey, K., Allen, J., Schenker, N., Bruss, J., and H. Damasio. 2003. A morphometric analysis of auditory brain regions in congenitally deaf adults. Cognitive Neuroscience Abstracts.
· Semendeferi, K., Schenker, N., and H. Poje. 2002. Neural Substrates of Cognition in Monkeys and Apes: Preliminary Observations. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 117(S34):139.
· Semendeferi, K. and N. Schenker. 2001. Temporal and Frontal Lobes in Monkeys, Apes, and Humans. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts. 27.
Funding
· National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant, #0406605
Selected scholarships and honors
· NSF Graduate Fellowship-Honorable Mention 2002
· Regents Fellowship–UCSD–2000-2001.
· NSF Graduate Fellowship-Honorable Mention 2000
·
Arts & Sciences Outstanding Graduate at the
·
UW Trustee's
· National Merit Scholarship–1995-1999.
· EPSCoR Undergraduate Research Fellowship–1998.
· Phi Kappa Phi–inducted 1997.
· Pi Kappa Lambda–National Music Honor Society–inducted 1996
· Phi Beta Kappa–inducted 2000.
· Presser Award--for outstanding academics given to a senior undergraduate in Music–1998-99
· Boyd Special Academic Opportunities Scholarship–UW–1999.