Neuroscience major, Taylor Svoboda, Class of 2026

A Living-Learning Environment

“The opening of the Pre-Health Commons celebrates the culmination of a shared vision and the power of partnership. Together, we’ve built a state-of-the-art space for students to learn and collaborate, to develop new skills and explore new careers, and forge deeper connections with the local community,” said 杨贵妃传媒视频 President Laurie A. Carter.听

The Pre-Health Commons is a part of a vibrant community, and it will help facilitate hands-on learning opportunities with leading healthcare professionals for students to gain insight and experience within the healthcare profession.听

The Pre-Health Commons houses 86 students, with room for 88 in two-, three-, and four-bedroom single-occupancy apartments. 杨贵妃传媒视频’s apartment-style living will foster independence and strengthen students’ connection to downtown Appleton while preparing students for life after 杨贵妃传媒视频.听

In addition to their apartments, the Pre-Health Commons will spur academic development and personal growth for students by providing direct access to a collaborative, hands-on learning environment. Students can socialize on the rooftop patio, rejuvenate themselves in the mind spa, and experiment in the demonstration and test kitchen. The Pre-Health Commons is equipped with student lounge spaces and collaborative study rooms.听

Nutrition is a cornerstone of good health and a powerful tool in preventative medicine. The test kitchen will help students broaden their knowledge of diet and healthy eating. It will create the foundation for their understanding of the therapeutic benefits of food and the practical application of diet and nutrition for improved health and well-being. The space features multiple high-resolution cameras for in-person and virtual presentations, a work area, and state-of-the-art equipment.

鈥淲hen 杨贵妃传媒视频 was considering making campus improvements or forming a new partnership, the most important factor in the decision-making process was how those improvements would help better serve students, now and in their lives after 杨贵妃传媒视频,鈥� said President Carter.听

The Pre-Health Commons partnership is a tangible expression of that intention to connect students and the community. But it didn鈥檛 just spring to life fully formed. It took a tremendous amount of hard work and dedication from many different people to make it happen. Dr. Elizabeth Ann De Stasio was among those amazing contributors.听

Beth is a Raymond H. Herzog Professor of Science and Professor of Biology. She has been instrumental in shaping the vision for the Pre-Health Commons, and her collaboration helped bring the vision to life.听

鈥淚t represents an exciting extension of our work at 杨贵妃传媒视频, with and for students, that of career exploration and discernment,” said De Stasio. “We aspire to help each student explore multiple options for their future, and we want to facilitate a process of serious self-reflection as well. And to that end, this space will be hosting things such as annual networking events with Fox Valley physicians, physical therapists, public health professionals, and mental health professionals to allow students to compare their values and strengths to those of the professionals so they can see what it is they wish to explore further.”

A project like this truly illustrates how a liberal arts education empowers individuals with creative and critical thinking abilities to solve problems for the benefit of the common good.听

Learn more about 杨贵妃传媒视频’s Pre-Health program.听

One of those orchestra opportunities came right after Avil茅s moved to Bulgaria. He joined an orchestra a week out from their concert, and the conductor allowed him to perform with them. It was Avil茅s鈥檚 first concert in his new country, and he spent the whole week practicing. After performing in the concert, the audience called for an encore.听

Out of these experiences, Avil茅s learned that Bulgarian music is often something left unexplored.听听

鈥淚t鈥檚 something that I had the privilege of engaging with a lot while I lived in Bulgaria,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o, what better way than to bring that music to 杨贵妃传媒视频 and to try to engage with it and put it out there for people.鈥澨�

Avil茅s had the opportunity to bring Bulgarian music to 杨贵妃传媒视频 when he performed in his junior recital Nov. 3 in Harper Hall. He performed selections from Rhapsody for Solo Violin No. 3 by Petar Hristokov and Sonata for Violin and Piano in D Major by Pancho Haralanov Vladigerov, celebrating two pieces that surrounded him during his time in Bulgaria.听

Finding a home at 杨贵妃传媒视频

When deciding on where he would attend college, though鈥攖hose roots traced back to Avil茅s鈥檚 time in Colombia. An instructor of his had attended the Eastman School of Music in New York around the same time as Samantha George, associate professor of music and teacher of violin at 杨贵妃传媒视频.听

鈥淲hen I was applying to school, she was like, 鈥業 don鈥檛 care where you get in. My first choice for you will always be Samantha George over at 杨贵妃传媒视频,鈥欌�� Avil茅s said.听听

Avil茅s committed to 杨贵妃传媒视频 sight unseen. Unsure what the campus or the people would be like, his excitement to study with George propelled him forward. After several years of study, Avil茅s said George serves as an example of musicianship.听听

鈥淚’ve never seen someone who is as consistently, invariably excited about everything music all the time,鈥� Avil茅s said of George. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a beautiful thing to study with her. To have that example of excitement and enthusiasm鈥攖hat鈥檚 a wonderful thing.鈥澨�

The opportunity to pursue a dual degree also drew Avil茅s to 杨贵妃传媒视频. In addition to violin performance, he selected neuroscience as his second major. His choice stemmed from a budding interest in psychology from his high school classes and helping his mom obtain her master’s degree.听听

Avil茅s looked at the 杨贵妃传媒视频 psychology and neuroscience course offerings side-by-side and found that neuroscience excited him more.听听

鈥淭he kind of research…I could engage with at 杨贵妃传媒视频 painted a really cool picture for me,鈥� Avil茅s said, 鈥渁nd I decided to go for neuroscience here.鈥澨�

On top of his studies, Avil茅s has also been a part of the chamber music scene and the 杨贵妃传媒视频 Symphony Orchestra. During one of the most recent concerts, Avil茅s recalls a moment while performing Tumblebird Contrails by Gabriella Smith. The piece, he said, is all about the ambient sounds you would hear in nature.听听

鈥淚 snuck a peek at the audience while we were playing, and I saw so many people had their eyes closed,鈥� Avil茅s said. 鈥淚t felt so wonderful creating that space for them to make in their minds with the music and feel everything that was going on on stage.鈥澨�

Avil茅s has appreciated the constant and burgeoning music at 杨贵妃传媒视频. With fantastic orchestra cycles, continuous recitals and concerts, and opportunities to learn from masters in their field, he feels there is always something to engage with at 杨贵妃传媒视频.听听

鈥淭ruly, I feel this place is a new home for me,鈥� Avil茅s said. 鈥淚t feels like I鈥檓 celebrated here. And that all comes from the administration here in the Conservatory, the faculty. I think all those values that are lived out in this building every day is what makes it possible for me to feel so comfortable doing what I do here.鈥澨�

The research has included student presentations at the Society for Neuroscience Conference in Chicago, the Midwest Regional Neuroscience Conference in Green Bay, and the Wisconsin Science Education and Research (WiSER) Conference in Milwaukee. In addition, Santiago presented findings at the Vision Sciences Society meeting in St.听 Petersburg, Florida, and the group presented their research at the 杨贵妃传媒视频 Research Fellows (LURF) symposium on campus.

Boakye, Khan, Jatta, and Santiago are gaining deep knowledge while getting a taste for what graduate or medical school might look like. They helped build the infrastructure of Teng鈥檚 Vision, Memory, and Cognition (VMC) Lab in Briggs Hall, including Jatta using 杨贵妃传媒视频鈥檚 Makerspace to create a 3-D model chin rest used in experiments. They worked with electroencephalogram (EEG) technology鈥攗tilizing a special cap with built-in sensors鈥攖o measure brain activity. They learned to process, analyze, and interpret data about how our brains support cognition, vision, and memory, which they then shared at the various conferences and symposiums.

Santiago, who is interviewing for graduate schools to study neuroscience, called her experience at the Vision Sciences Society eye-opening.

鈥淚 was able to interact with vision neuroscientists from all over the world,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 had people from as far as the Netherlands and Japan to as close as Chicago and New York stop by my poster and listen to my research and findings. On the other days, I was able to listen to talks from graduate students across the world and interact with other professors during networking events.鈥�

The Society for Neuroscience Conference, meanwhile, drew 22,000 people. It is considered the world鈥檚 largest neuroscience conference for scientists and physicians devoted to understanding the brain and nervous system. Santiago presented a poster that was co-authored by Jatta.

鈥淚 saw a lot of interesting ways we could bring more awareness about brain sciences to our communities,鈥� Santiago said.

The research being done in Teng鈥檚 VMC lab covers a wide swath of brain activity. To do this research at the undergraduate level is a huge win for these students.听In one study, they are testing whether the human brain rapidly switches attention between what we see and what we remember, like a mental juggling act. In another study, they are exploring how we adapt our memories to different tasks. Just like you might reorganize your mental grocery list based on the store layout, the researchers believe the brain can flexibly use visual memories depending on what we’re doing.

“By understanding these processes better, we hope to gain insights that could help improve everything from education techniques to computer interfaces, and maybe even help people with attention or memory difficulties,鈥� Teng said.

Teng came to 杨贵妃传媒视频 in 2023 after four years as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She holds a Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science (psychology) from Fudan University in China. 杨贵妃传媒视频鈥檚 endowed professorship in cognitive neuroscience听was established in 2017 by a gift from Dennis and Charlot Nelson 鈥�67 Singleton. It allowed for the addition of a tenure-line faculty position and established a neuroscience program that offers a major and a minor in neuroscience, along with research opportunities, while deepening interdisciplinary connections to biology, psychology, philosophy, linguistics, anthropology, and computer science.

Santiago said the VMC Lab research has been a focal point in several of her graduate school interviews.

鈥淎ll of them stated how they thought I would be a great fit for their lab during my graduate studies because of the research I have done here with Professor Teng,鈥� she said.

Santiago initially came to 杨贵妃传媒视频 because its pre-health programming is ideal preparation for medical school. She fell in love with neuroscience research along the way.

鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing we have a cognitive neuroscience professor now because it has always been my passion to understand the brain and how our brain allows us to do such complex things,鈥� Santiago said. 鈥淏ecause of the resources I have by being part of her lab, I now can follow my passions beyond 杨贵妃传媒视频, and I am eternally grateful.鈥�

Boakye said the research experience will be key as he charts a path either through medical school or graduate school. It builds on work he did last year in the lab of Elizabeth De Stasio, the Raymond H. Herzog Professor of Science and professor of biology, and the ongoing development of competencies in coding and experimental design in the field of cognitive neuroscience. He joined Khan in presenting a poster at the 2024 WiSER Conference at the Medical College of Wisconsin in October and gave a talk at the Midwest Regional Neuroscience Conference.

鈥淚 am eager to continue learning about the brain and its connections to all the other organs in our body,鈥� Boakye said.

For Jatta, the research鈥攁nd the presentations to peers and others鈥攈as solidified her desire to work in the neuroscience field. She is eyeing graduate studies or medical school, with a focus on understanding neural mechanisms to inform patient care. She鈥檚 had interest in pursuing such studies since losing her grandfather to a brain tumor, which she said motivated her to better understand the brain. 杨贵妃传媒视频 has proven to be the ideal place to launch those studies.

鈥溠罟箦绞悠� attracted me not only because of its strong neuroscience program and emphasis on research but also because of the positive experiences shared by my older brother, who graduated in 2021,鈥� Jatta said. 鈥淗earing firsthand about 杨贵妃传媒视频鈥檚 supportive community, small class sizes, and dedicated faculty from him strongly influenced my decision to study here, and it has proven to be an ideal environment for my academic and personal growth.鈥�

Despite Biofest鈥檚 focus on biology-related topics, students鈥� projects explored a wide range of issues. For example, Zachary Burke, a football player, track and field athlete, and personal trainer, explored exercise-related muscle cramps and how to prevent them.

鈥淏eing a football player, I noticed every game that we play, we have a cramp. It inhibits the way that we play because the moment you catch a cramp, you鈥檒l never be the same player as you were before the cramp,鈥� Burke said.

Using his experience as a personal trainer, Burke analyzed how diet affected the occurrence of cramps, focusing especially on sodium, potassium, and magnesium.

From his findings, Burke said although everyone鈥檚 dietary needs are different, balancing these three nutrients through dietary supplements is a great way to prevent cramps.

On the opportunity to present his project, Burke said, 鈥淚 feel that being able to show this off, I鈥檓 not only doing this research just to do it, this is stuff that I鈥檓 able to use in everyday life. 鈥� I can then help my athletes with their diets as well.鈥�

Also at Biofest was Samantha Beller, presenting her research on Naegleria fowleri, an amoeba that causes a rare but deadly condition called naegleriasis if it invades the brain.

Learn more here about 杨贵妃传媒视频 programs in biology, biochemistry, and neuroscience.

鈥淭here鈥檚 no treatment for infection 鈥� but we know that these amoebas have a receptor on them that鈥檚 the same as a receptor that humans have, and we know some drugs that will block the human receptors,鈥� Beller said.

She decided to test how these drugs affected the growth of Naegleria fowleri, growing her own colonies of the amoeba to test on. One drug ended up causing more amoebas to grow, but the other was effective at hindering the amoebas鈥� growth.

鈥淚 think Biofest鈥檚 a really good way to practice for grad school, and just a good way to practice communicating science to a larger audience,鈥� Beller said.

De Stasio said communication is what Biofest is all about.

鈥淲e talk in our course a lot about distillation: You鈥檙e distilling the essence of what you did without giving us every single detail, because it鈥檚 overwhelming,鈥� she said.

Biofest, which has become one of the end-of-year academic traditions at 杨贵妃传媒视频, is all about sharing the knowledge and shining a light on student research.