1 Dedication and Acknowledgements

In May 2022, I will graduate with a Master of Science Degree in Neuroscience from Wake Forest School of Medicine. This website is the embodiment of my master’s thesis. None of this would be possible if not for the incredible support of my mentors, family, and friends.

First and foremost, I’d like to thank Ken Kishida. I’ve been conducting research with him since February 2018 and am incredibly appreciative of his encouragement and support. Dr. Kishida has given me the space for me to follow my interests with programming and neuroscience, and this website is a testament to what I learned working with him. Within the Kishida Lab, I am especially grateful to L. Paul Sands for conversations about my modeling techniques as well as Emily DiMarco, Rachel Jones, Angela Jiang, and Brittany Liebenow who provided valuable feedback and guidance as I developed my thesis.

As an undergraduate, Lucy McGowan, S. Mason Garrison, and Staci Hepler had an immeasurable impact on how I understand, and conduct, scientific programming, Bayesian inference, and data analysis. Katy Lack, Melissa Maffeo, Wayne Pratt, and Terry Blumenthal fostered my interest in Neuroscience. I am extremely grateful to have learned from them.

I’d next like to thank my committee members, Drs. Christian Waugh and Todd McFall (and Ken Kishida!) for their support and guidance as I’ve worked on my thesis. Also, Nathaniel Haines’s publications greatly improved my understanding of the underlying mathematics behind computational modeling and he provided invaluable feedback on my work.

To my family, I would not be the person I am without your love and support, especially that of my mom, Joanne Fink, and grandpa, Dr. Gordon Fink. I dedicate this thesis to you.