Mary Bun selects a three-day-old Drosophila fruit fly from the incubator and moves to her custom-built behavioral rig. She places the fly in a circular arena beneath a hidden camera and pulls the cloth curtain shut.
The rig’s design is both elegant and practical, featuring a black box, a top-down camera for video capture and a custom computer program Bun coded to control the experiment. With the lights off in the Ahmed Lab, the black box blocks any external light. Bred for this experiment, the fly’s neurons are activated by light, and even the slightest outside interference could skew the results. With a click, a red light triggers the neurons, causing the fly’s wings to extend. The camera captures the motion, measuring each subtle angle as the wings vibrate and contract.
Mary Bun, in the red light of the rig she made to study multitasking in fruit flies.Photo by Jayden Becles
Seated at her workstation, Bun watches the footage stream on her computer, her software controlling both the camera and the light stimulation. The rig’s sleek design, a product of her engineering expertise, reflects her dedication. “Every part of this setup has a purpose,” she says, her eyes fixed on the fly’s delicate movements. “This is a platform for discovery. There’s so much more to uncover.”
Mary Bun, Robinson Center student and undergraduate researcher.Photo by Jayden Becles
Mary Bun’s fascination with how things work began long before middle school. Driven by a natural curiosity for problem-solving, she knew early on that, like her brothers, she would apply to the Transition School at the University of Washington’s Robinson Center, the Center’s one-year college preparatory program for high-achieving students.
“I wanted a challenge,” Bun recalls. “The traditional high school experience didn’t feel like it would push me enough. I needed something more.” The Transition School provided an immersive environment with advanced coursework, allowing her to transition early to the UW. “I could move quickly and start thinking about research much earlier.”
Bun’s time wasn’t just academic — it helped her find a community of other highly motivated peers. “Fifteen is such a critical period in your life,” she says. As she began her college journey, “the world had been turned upside down” with the coronavirus pandemic. During the pandemic, Bun found support in her cohort, navigating the challenges of remote learning and isolation together. “The Transition School gave me the tools to succeed, but it was the people who made it meaningful.”
A spark for neural engineering
In an Engineering 101 course, Bun was captivated by Dr. Chet Mortiz’s work on neural stimulation devices for spinal cord injury rehabilitation. “I found it fascinating that we could externally influence the nervous system to help people,” she says.
Bun uses optogenetics — a technique that uses light to activate specific neurons — she studies how fruit flies perform tasks like walking and vibrating their wings at the same time.Photo by Jayden Becles
Driven by this newfound passion, Bun pursued a double degree in electrical engineering and psychology. As a junior, she took on her first research opportunity in the lab of Dr. Sama Ahmed, where she applied her academic knowledge alongside her practical engineering skills.
“My first two years were about finding my footing,” she recalls. “But once I joined the lab, everything clicked. I realized how much I loved the process of discovery — asking questions, designing experiments and seeing results come to life.”
Bun’s research in the Ahmed Lab centers on an important question: How do neural circuits manage multitasking? Using optogenetics — a technique that uses light to activate specific neurons — she studies how fruit flies perform tasks like walking and vibrating their wings at the same time.
“Despite its simplicity, the fruit fly can perform surprisingly complex behaviors,” Bun explains. “By understanding how the fly brain processes multiple tasks, we can start to uncover fundamental principles about how more complex brains, like ours, might work.
Designing pathways
Under Dr. Ahmed’s guidance, Bun began constructing her behavior rig, a device she designed and built from scratch to observe and analyze fly behavior. The rig integrates hardware and software to capture high-speed video of flies responding to light stimulation, enabling Bun to measure precise movements, like wing extension and walking patterns. “Building the rig was one of the most rewarding parts of my research,” she says. “It allowed me to apply my engineering skills and coursework to solve a real scientific problem.”
Mary Bun works on the rig she built for her research, left, and, right, the rig is ready to roll.Photos by Jayden Becles
Bun’s work challenges the traditional approach of studying behaviors in isolation. “Most research looks at one behavior at a time,” she says. “But in the real world, animals — and humans — are constantly juggling multiple tasks within different states and environments. I wanted to explore how the brain handles that.”
Through the Office of Undergraduate Research, Bun received support in identifying funding opportunities for her innovative research. With their assistance, she applied for and was awarded the Mary Gates Research Scholarship in 2023 and the 2024-25 Levinson Emerging Scholars Award. This prestigious award supports students conducting creative research projects in biosciences under the guidance of UW faculty and recognizes scholars who demonstrate exceptional motivation and independence in their research. Bun is also a 2024-25 recipient of the Stephanie Subak Endowed Memorial Scholarship from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Mary Bun reviews the movement she captured with her self-made rig. She studies multitasking in fruit flies to learn more about complex movement in people.Photo by Jayden Becles
Far-reaching impact
Bun’s research, which explores how the brain prioritizes and processes information during multitasking, has significant implications. By understanding how the brain seamlessly combines some behaviors, her work could offer valuable insights into disorders like Parkinson’s, which affect cognitive function, potentially paving the way for new treatment approaches.
Bun will present her research as a Levinson Scholar at the Office of Undergraduate Research’s 28th Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium. Her time with the Office of Undergraduate Research and in the Ahmed Lab has been transformative, fueling both her research and growth as a scientist.
“Dr. Ahmed gave me the freedom to take full ownership of my project,” Bun said. In the Ahmed Lab’s collaborative, non-hierarchical environment, undergraduates are treated as integral members of the team, and Bun has thrived in this setting. She designed the behavior rig from the ground up, conducted her own experiments and even began writing a paper on the methods the lab developed.
Building on this experience, Bun plans to pursue a Ph.D. to study neural engineering after graduation.
“Research has taught me to embrace challenges and think creatively,” she says. “It’s not just about finding answers — it’s about asking the right questions and pushing the boundaries of what we know.”
Written by Danielle Holland // Photos and video by Jayden Becles // Creative direction by Kirsten Atik
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Originally published March 2025