2012-2013, Undergraduate Student - Biology
Biography:
I am rising senior majoring in Biology with minors in French and Psychology. I have been working in Dr. Judy Kroll's lab for the past three semesters assisting in studies that test the Inhibitory Control Model of bilingualism. Using ERPs, fMRI, and behavioral measures, we examine the scope and time course of inhibition. We are also interested in seeing if juggling multiple languages causes any differences in executive function.
For my PIRE project I am looking at whether differences in executive function can result from an intensive language immersion experience such as a study abroad program. Through this grant I will be travelling to Granada, Spain and testing study abroad students through ERPs and behavioral measures. As a comparison, I have already begun testing pre-study abroad students and I will continue to test post-study abroad students, classroom learners, and monolinguals in the fall.
While not in school I can be found running, biking, hiking, or doing pretty much any outdoor activity. I also participate in the Penn State Dance Marathon (THON) and the Schreyer Literary Committee. Although I have never taken Spanish, I'm going to put the ICM to the test and see how much I can learn while abroad. I'm also excited to meet new people and hopefully collect some amazing data!