The Scent of Discovery

Silvia Huerta Lopez is an MD/PhD student at the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS), where she studies sensory inputs and behavior in mice. Huerta Lopez discusses her research, the pride she takes both in her research and her life experience as an immigrant, and a colleague who has inspired her with his friendship and curiosity.  

Where the Nose Goes  

Have you ever wondered why the smell of a delicious pumpkin pie intensifies when you are hungry? My research aims to understand how our body’s needs and feelings affect how we perceive and respond to different odors. Different parts of our brains help us sense these needs and feelings, and they also change how we react to our environment. For example, when we are hungry, thirsty, or scared, our body tries to bring us back into homeostasis—basically, back into balance.  

Mice have a very good sense of smell, and they use it to find food and mates and to avoid predators. But they don’t always smell the same things in the same way. Sometimes they might smell food and pheromones at the same time, but they will choose what to draw their attention to based on how they feel or what they need at that moment. For instance, if they are hungry, they will prefer the smell of food, but if they are afraid or thirsty, they will ignore it. I want to know how and where in the brain this happens. How does the brain decide what smells are important and what behaviors are appropriate depending on the body’s internal state?  

Pride and Commitment  

I was recently awarded the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship, which honors the contributions of immigrants and children of immigrants to the United States. I am proud of this accomplishment because it not only recognizes my potential as a scientist but also my experience as an undocumented immigrant. Having the platform to share my research alongside my immigrant identity is important because it enables me to connect with and mentor prospective graduate students who may face similar challenges accessing education. I am honored to learn with—and contribute to—a community of scholars committed to creating a more inclusive country for everyone.   

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Silvia Huerta Lopez working at her bench in the Liberles Lab.

Mornings with Rigo

My everyday interactions with colleagues, mentors, and staff at Harvard Griffin GSAS challenge and change me into a better and more thoughtful person and scientist. Someone who has challenged, inspired, and supported me and my research during my time at GSAS in a meaningful way was Rigo Rodriguez, an animal care specialist at Harvard Medical School for nearly three decades. (We often joked that he had been working there longer than I had been alive!)  

I often spent my mornings chatting with Rigo while I trained mice to perform behavioral experiments for my research studies. We spoke in Spanish, our native language, about our experience as immigrants, about how much we loved freshly made tortillas with queso fresco, and about visiting loved ones back home. These daily conversations made Harvard feel like a home for me.  

Often curious about my research, Rigo challenged me to communicate my work in tangible ways and to articulate the importance of understanding fundamental principles in neuroscience. He once asked, “What are the implants in the mouse’s head for?” When I explained that it allowed me to deliver light and turn on specific cells in the brain to make mice feel thirsty, his face lit up in fascination. Rigo’s curiosity and genuine interest in my work helped me embrace the importance of my own research. In the thoughtful and meticulous care that he provided for our study animals, he instilled in me the greatest respect for everyone, big and small. Rigo embodied what it means to be a member of the Harvard Griffin GSAS community—to support, inspire, and care for science and the beings that make it possible.