My research goal is to use light to "see" the activity of neurons. I want to engineer microscopes that capture the rapid fluttering of the neural network without any dyes, probes, poking, or prodding. As a first step, these microscopes are evaluated and demonstrated on neurons cultured in a dish for better control over the experiment. The electrical activity of neurons is subtle to detect, demanding clever ways to manipulate light to image it. One day, while I was wringing my brain to solve a tricky problem with the experiment, I realized the cyclic nature of the whole ordeal. Using the neurons in my head to maneuver light to observe the neurons in a dish, from which I hope to gain some insight into the human nervous system, reminded me of the stories of Rishis in Indian mythology and their quest for the "self." Since Rishee is already my nickname, I inevitably imagined myself in this scenario and painted this with oils on canvas last July. It is a self-portrait of me meditating and aiming my nerves at light such that I can capture the activity of the neural network in a dish in a quest to find the self.
