Grad News Forum

The Graduate Forum would like to congratulate Sarah Henderson, a fourth-year PhD candidate in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, on her new position as a postdoctoral researcher at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in Manhattan, New York. Henderson plans to graduate this summer and begin working in New York City this June. She is currently finishing up her dissertation on the influence of ambivalence on executive functioning and cigarette smoker’s emotional and neural responses to smoking cues.

Henderson grew up in Cheshire, Connecticut, and completed her undergraduate studies at the George Washington University in Washington, DC, majoring in psychology and political science. After graduating, she worked as a paralegal at a law firm, but then quickly realized that she did not want to pursue a law career.

Next, Henderson worked as a research assistant at the Children’s National Medical Center, conducting quality of life research with children suffering from epilepsy, Tourette’s Syndrome, neurofibromatosis, and autism. To this day she remains involved with Brainy Camps, a week-long summer camp for children with chronic health conditions. In addition, she volunteers weekly at David’s House, a volunteer-run home-away-from-home dedicated to supporting the families of children being treated at the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

After working at the Children’s National Medical Center, Henderson worked for a contract research agency where she conducted pharmaceutical research for the National Institutes of Health. Following this, Henderson decided to come to Dartmouth to pursue her PhD in cognitive neuroscience in order to work with some of the top people in the field.

Henderson works with Professor Catherine Norris and employs fMRI and eye tracking as a means for studying ambivalence (i.e., emotional conflict), self-regulation, and addiction. Her dissertation examines how ambivalence, or the state of having contradictory feelings toward something, affects cognitive processing and subsequently, the regulation of cigarette smoking. For example, she found that when viewing images of smoking, participants with a desire to quit smoking showed less activity in reward regions of the brain and more activity in regions associated with internally directed attention.

In her time at Dartmouth, Henderson has presented posters at academic conferences, including the Cognitive Neuroscience Society, the Social and Affective Neuroscience Society, the Society for Social Neuroscience, and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. Henderson was also the recipient of the 2011 Basic Psychological Science Research Grant from the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students.

In her new postdoctoral fellowship position at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Henderson will research pediatric mood and anxiety disorders, using a variety of neuroimaging and neurobiological techniques. Along with her advisor, Vilma Gabbay, she will investigate new ways to improve the identification, diagnosis, and treatment of many of these disorders.

We wish Henderson all the best in her new position!

by Andrea Worsham

The Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning (DCAL) held a celebratory lunch on Wednesday, April 10th to congratulate ten graduate students nominated as Outstanding Graduate Student Teachers. The nominees were selected by undergraduate students who felt that their TAs/instructors had gone above and beyond their responsibilities. The nominations and lunch were part of the annual Graduate Appreciation Week.

Working as a teaching assistant is one of the most rewarding, and oftentimes challenging, aspects of graduate school. Being a TA offers the opportunity to learn pedagogical techniques, such as lesson planning and testing strategies, from professors. TAs are in a unique position in that they act as a bridge between students and professors. TAs are therefore able to learn from undergraduates which pedagogical techniques work well.

“I think TAing is an excellent opportunity to ‘grow’ as a person. It makes me more responsible, as I am the person students refer to if they have any problems. TAing makes me see the same issue from different perspectives and appreciate that a problem may be faced and solved in different ways,” said Stefano Poggio from the Department of Chemistry, who was nominated by students from his Chemistry 6 class.

Despite the challenges, these TAs clearly excelled in their role. “He is an excellent teacher, going far beyond any other TA or professor that I have had in terms of his availability outside of class, willingness to discuss and explain the material individually to students, and quality of lectures,” said one undergrad of their TA. “[She] is one of the kindest, more enthusiastic people I know,” said another. Enthusiasm, passion for science, and patience were commonly cited as qualities of the outstanding TAs.

Dr. Cindy Tobery from DCAL hosted the lunch, at which graduate students and undergraduates were able to share classroom experiences and teaching techniques.  Because the graduate students came from very different academic backgrounds, they were able to share diverse opinions on teaching and life as a graduate student. Dr. Tobery noted, “I am always impressed that undergrads take the time to nominate a grad student for this award. Sometimes many students from a class work together to nominate their TA. I think this is a nice way to include undergraduates in Grad Student Appreciation Week.”

“Receiving this award was such unexpected news! I was so touched and honored! Mentoring students is always such a great experience for me, and it is very rewarding to know that the students think that I do a good job!” said Ramsa Chaves-Ulloa from the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology program.

The 2013 nominees for Outstanding Graduate Student Teachers from an undergraduate perspective were Julia Bradley-Cook, Ramsa Chaves-Ulloa and Zak Gezon from the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology program, Zeb Engberg and Zachary Evans from the Mathematics Department, Deqing Li from the Thayer School of Engineering, Stefano Poggio from the Department of Chemistry, Anna Prescott and Alex Schlegel from the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, and Damian Sowinski from the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Congratulations and keep up the good work, TAs!

by Zak Gezon

photo courtesy of Alex Schlegel

Congratulations to graduate student Alex Schlegel, in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, who was one of four winners of the Graduate Poster Session held recently in Alumni Hall! (Below is a summary of Schlegel’s poster.)

Poster Title: A Neural Network Supporting Mental Operations on Visual Imagery

Ask a bonobo what you get when you cross an elephant with a rhino, and he likely will not have the slightest clue. But if you ask me, I can vividly imagine an elephino with two tusks and horns charging through the savanna. Humans have evolved robust machinery for synthesizing new concepts that we can use for a range of pursuits including art and science. However, we know little about the neural basis of this machinery.

In this study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the brain’s ability to manipulate the contents of visual imagery. We developed a set of abstract visual shapes that could be assembled into 2×2 arrays to generate figures of varying complexity. Subjects performed two types of tasks: they either held the stimuli in short term memory for later recall or mentally manipulated the stimuli in working memory.

We found a network of 11 cortical and subcortical brain regions. There was differing activity between those tasks involving remembering and those involving manipulation. Multivariate pattern classification within these regions revealed a subset of frontal, parietal, and occipital areas whose informational structure could distinguish between the different mental operations. This suggests that these regions play a key role in mental operations. We also found that the pattern of functional connectivity between these regions changed depending on the task, with an area called the precuneus serving as a network hub.

Thus, a multi-region network of areas dominated by fronto-parieto-occipital connections supports the mental manipulation of visual imagery.

poster summary by Alex Schlegel

The Graduate-Undergraduate (G-U) Mentoring Program was officially launched on April 4^th, 2013 with a kick-off event co-sponsored by Dartmouth Graduate Studies and Career Services.

The launch event was hosted at the Career Services office in downtown Hanover and began with an introduction of the Mentoring Program by graduate students, Max Mehlman and Marie Onakomaiya. A panel discussion followed with Thayer professor, Dr. Kofi Odame and five graduate students (Stela Celaj, Max Mehlman, Erin O’Malley, Elizabeth Sergison, and Jeremy Thompson), who answered questions from the 30 undergraduates who attended the event. The final session was the meet-a-mentor breakout session, during which undergrads could mingle and talk one-on-one with graduate students in their field of interest.

Almost a year in the making, the idea for the Mentoring Program came from a conversation in the spring of 2012 between Onakomaiya, a PhD student in the Program in Experimental and Molecular Medicine, and Jessica Friedman of the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding. Friedman highlighted the need to connect Dartmouth undergraduates interested in graduate school with graduate students, so they could experience what graduate school is like. Unless they do undergraduate research in a lab or an honors thesis with a professor, students do not get to experience what it is like to go to grad school until they begin. This conversation led to the initial concept of a day of shadowing grad students.

Through collaboration with Mehlman, a PhD student in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences (PBS), Anna Prescott and Aarathi Prasad of the Graduate Women in Science and Engineering (GWISE) group, and Kathy Weaver, the assistant director of the Office of Undergraduate Advising and Research, the program evolved into more than just shadowing. A summer pilot was set up, and through announcements in the Graduate Student Council (GSC) Gazetteer, graduate students were recruited to be “low-pressure” mentors to undergraduate students in the Women in Science Program (WISP). Over 40 graduate students signed up to be mentors within a month of recruiting—an indication of the enthusiasm of graduate students to help the Dartmouth community fill this gap.

After the summer pilot, the feedback from the 18 participants was largely positive. One undergraduate, Holly Wakeman, said of the program “I found the program very helpful! I’m an undergrad considering applying to grad school, and I met with several mentors to talk about how and when to apply, their experiences, and my interests. While I’m not still in contact with most of the mentors I met with, it was a very valuable experience and really helped me to better understand what I’d like to do and how to get there!”

Through the fall and winter terms, Mehlman and Onakomaiya re-evaluated the program and worked on how to launch it campus-wide. Weaver connected them with key people in offices across campus involved in undergraduate-graduate education, including the Undergraduate Deans Office, Pre-Health Advising, Graduate Studies, and Career Services, among others. They also pitched the program to professors in different departments and schools on campus, who recognized the need and potential of the program. There was overwhelming support from all corners.

The program is designed to be self-sustaining. Undergrads are given access to a list of graduate students interested in being mentors, including their contact information and a short description of their graduate work and other expertise. The graduate students are available for questions over email and/or coffee, or to be shadowed, giving some flexibility to all concerned.

In the future, there are plans to receive quarterly mentor feedback and to set up a yearly mentor training session to provide support to the graduate mentors and help them be better mentors, as well as to re-assess the success of the program. Overall, the Mentoring Program is providing a direct way for undergraduates to learn more about graduate school, and has in the same turn provided a mentoring opportunity for Dartmouth graduate students.

The Mentoring Program is always recruiting new mentors. Graduate students interested in being mentors can e-mail either Mehlman or Onakomaiya. Undergraduate students interested in learning more about grad school can visit the Graduate-Undergraduate Mentoring Program website to connect with a mentor.

by Marie Onakomaiya

With spring fast approaching, the snow stomp has begun to give way to the mud shake. Several weeks ago, however, a group of twenty intrepid and snow-loving graduate students made the trip to Smugglers’ Notch Resort for the first annual Graduate Student Winter Weekend. The group contained students from nearly every graduate program on campus, and so the diversity of conversations and interests made the weekend all the more promising.

The event, marvelously coordinated by James Peck, a student in the program in Psychological and Brain Sciences, and Marcus Welker, a student in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology program, took place from March 1-3. The participants, energized by anticipated snowfall for the weekend, carpooled from Hanover to “Smuggs” on the Friday evening—welcomed by three cozy and comfortable condominiums. As among the first to arrive, my group unloaded the groceries and got started on a delicious dinner that set the tone for the rest of the weekend!

Not simply a skiers’ or snowboarders’ trip, Smugglers’ Notch also offered access to tubing, snowshoeing, ice-skating, and cross-country skiing. Located in Cambridge, Vermont, Smuggs made good on its promise of snow from the first night. Light dustings turned into heavy flakes overnight, and by the time everyone had arrived and settled in on the first night, it was clear a good snowfall was underway.

Everyone was up early on Saturday morning, buzzing with excitement at the fresh powder that clung to the mountainsides. Despite the cloudy conditions on the hill, the terrain was well-groomed and provided hours of fun for the first of many “sessions.” Some were on the mountain all day, some finished at lunch, but everyone took advantage of the new snow.

Later that evening, there was a pizza party and birthday celebration held at one of the lodges in the Smugglers’ Resort Village. Welker’s birthday was celebrated with a combination chocolate and vanilla cake. All the while, the snow kept falling.

On Sunday, everyone was, once again, on the mountain early. With the low-lying clouds of Saturday long gone, conditions were perfect. Cautious estimates claim that around eight inches of snow fell during the duration of the trip.

People made their own way back to Hanover throughout the course of Sunday, but most tried to stay as long as they could to enjoy the snow and the activities. The first Dartmouth Graduate Winter Weekend can be qualified as a fantastic success. Here’s to many more in the future!

by Laurie Laker

photos by Lisa Jackson

The Graduate Forum will be running a series of articles profiling the new Graduate Student Council. The GSC elections were held back on May 1^st. As the new board members get underway in their positions, we’d like to take an opportunity to congratulate them on their elections and to highlight their hopes for the year ahead. Next up – new Academic Chair Rich Lopez.

Graduates students are used to pursuing their academics with a high level of specificity. This hyper-focus, which tends to foster an undeniable enthusiasm and excitement, can be captured by one famous, endearing moniker – the nerd.

“I’m a complete nerd at heart,” claims Rich Lopez, “and I think my enthusiasm stems from not being willing to draw a hard line between academic and social spheres of life.” It’s the perfect attitude for the new Academic Chair of the Graduate Student Council.

Rich grew up in New Jersey, and stayed in his home state for college. He attended Princeton University, graduating in 2009 with a degree in Psychology. After completing his bachelor’s, Rich took the long trip from Jersey to New York City, to work as a research assistant at Columbia University. The lab he worked in explored the regulation of human emotions in both healthy and clinical populations.

Rich started in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Dartmouth in the fall of 2011. He notes a well-understood truth about Dartmouth’s PhD programs, saying, “I decided to come to Dartmouth because it offers the resources and opportunities of a world-class university while still maintaining a small, intimate feel.”

Rich is a rising second year PhD candidate, and he’s working with Dr. Todd Heatherton. He’s specializing in cognitive neuroscience, focusing on human appetitive behavior, like cue reactivity and self-regulation. Over the past year, Rich ran a study that, in his words, “sought to establish relationships between brain activity and eating behaviors in everyday life.”

At the GSC elections back in May, Rich was elected to the position of Academic Chair in a tight and passionate runoff. I was in attendance for those elections – it was easy to see the enthusiasm and excitement Rich would bring to the position as he walked back and forth on stage.  In his campaign speech, Rich emphasized the importance of increasing the visibility of Dartmouth’s graduate programs and students and the research they’re doing. He sees his election as a means to work towards the continuation and expansion of graduate academic events on campus.

“This coming year, I see both Nerd Nite and GradTalks continuing, since I’d like to establish an expectation that these events are “staple” events that provide opportunities for grad students to share exciting research with each other (in the case of Nerd Nite), and with the wider public (via GradTalks). In addition to the expectation, I hope to foster a sense of ownership among grad students so that in the future the grad student coordinators of the events can change their form and function to best serve the graduate community and beyond.”

By facilitating events that blur the line between the social and the academic, Rich is catering to those who understand that, as graduate students, the two are truly inseparable. At this point in an academic career, our studies are influencing so much of what we do outside of the classroom, and it makes sense to find unique and fun ways to explore those connections. The Graduate Forum congratulates Rich on his election, and wishes the best for all of the incoming GSC executive board members.

Michael and his doctoral advisor, David Bucci

The Hannah Croasdale Award for academic excellence is awarded annually to the graduating PhD recipient who best exemplifies the qualities of a scholar. This individual possesses personal qualities of intellectual curiosity, dedication, and commitment to the pursuit of new knowledge and to teaching, as well as a sense of social responsibility to the community of scholars. The award recipient is selected by The Dean of Graduate Studies.

Since September, Michael Hopkins has been working as a fellow at SpecialtyCare, a company that specializes in intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring. The fellowship aims to train qualified doctoral graduates for careers in this type of surgical monitoring.

“In my current position at SpecialtyCare, I monitor the neurological activity of patients while they undergo surgeries that put their brain or other neural elements at risk. By collecting real-time data about neural function during surgery, my colleagues and I are able to inform the surgeon of any changes that could lead to post-operative injury if no intervention is taken,” says Michael. “While, currently, I am not conducting research, one thing that excites me about working at SpecialtyCare is that the company is known for conducting research and publishing their findings in respected scientific journals. Once I’ve completed my training fellowship, I look forward to participating in these ongoing research projects.”

While at Dartmouth, Michael studied the mental health benefits of regular exercise with his doctoral advisor, David Bucci. This research culminated in his doctoral dissertation, Move it or lose out: neural and behavioral effects of physical exercise.

“My graduate research examined the neurobiological mechanisms underlying exercise-induced cognitive effects, from those underlying changes in stress-reactivity and anxiety-like behavior in rats, and to begin translating these findings from rodents directly into experimental work with humans. We found evidence to support the idea that the effects of exercise on cognition do indeed arise through separable neurobiological pathways than those underlying exercise-induced decreases in anxiety. Through our translational study with human participants, we were able to replicate a number of these findings with a low-intensity exercise intervention.”

In this experiment, Michael tested object-recognition memory in a number of undergraduate and graduate students at Dartmouth, who—prior to volunteering as participants in the examination—met the inclusion criteria for leading a “sedentary lifestyle,” and as part of the study adopted regular exercise routines. For the duration of his study, Michael’s volunteers walked at about 4 mph for 30 minutes every other day on treadmills.

“Throughout my doctoral career, I gathered data on the mental health of my subjects through a series of surveys and complied these findings into one of the studies in my dissertation,” explains Michael. “Our data suggest that a relatively mild exercise intervention can lead to cognitive improvement. But I think the most compelling finding was that the likelihood of experiencing these cognitive benefits may be tied to which version of a specific gene one carries, called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF.”

Since it was disseminated, the research that Michael conducted under the guidance of David Bucci has been featured in a number of national publications, including The New York Times and The Huffington Post.

Michael also served as a teaching assistant in Dartmouth’s Psychological and Brain Sciences department (PBS), and participated in a number of Science Cafés hosted by the Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning (DCAL). After completing his department’s teacher-training program, Michael helped teach four of PBS’s required courses—Psych 6, Psych 10—as well as two terms of Systems Neuroscience, Psych 65, one of the more challenging courses offered by the department.

“Margaret Gullick and I were asked to TA Systems Neuroscience together, which required a lot of commitment. However, our efforts were recognized, and in 2009, the faculty members of PBS selected me and Margaret as the recipients of that year’s departmental teaching award.”

Michael infront of Wentworth

While working as the North Park Graduate Advisor, and  serving as an Executive Board member of the Graduate Student Council (GSC), Michael hosted and planed a number of community-building events.  Also, upon arriving at Dartmouth, Michael volunteered to chair Green Lambda, the graduate community’s only LGBTQA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, and Allies) student group. For his community-building efforts, Michael was awarded the Graduate Community Award in 2009.

“I genuinely enjoyed each of the leadership roles that I held at Dartmouth as well as being involved with different facets of the school’s graduate community. While working as the North Park GA, I was impressed by the enthusiasm that graduate students brought to the events—whether it was a wine and cheese mixer in the laundry room, or a shopping trip to White River Junction, the residents that came to my events were excited to meet other graduate students and to enjoy their time outside of the laboratory or library,” explains Michael. “I think the capstone of my GSC involvement was planning the inaugural ‘Amazing North Park Race,’ which I hosted last spring. Those who participated really got competitive, and it was great to watch graduate students from different departments run around campus working together to complete all of the challenges.”

Michael received his bachelors degree in Behavioral Neuroscience from Colgate University in 2002, where he published two peer-reviewed scientific articles with Dr. Spencer Kelly examining the role of nonverbal communication in language. After graduating from Colgate, Michael lived in New York City where he began volunteering at a colon cancer research laboratory housed in The Rockefeller University. After a few months of volunteering, Michael was hired full-time as a research assistant, and while working at the center, found that he really enjoyed working in scientific research.

“The real-world experience I gained at Rockefeller was invaluable: not only did it re-affirm my passion for science and provide the work experience I needed to be accepted into the PhD program of my choice—which was Dartmouth—but I believe that the training I received helped prepare me to succeed as a graduate student,” says Michael.

Congratulations, Michael!

by Wesley Whitaker
photos by Tennile Sunday & Wesley Whitaker

Thalia Wheatley, Assistant Professor of Psychological and Brain Science (PBS), discusses her approach to graduate mentoring at Dartmouth. Selected as one of this year’s recipients of the Faculty Mentor Award by Dartmouth’s Graduate Student Council (GSC), Professor Wheatley works to keep her graduate students happy, because she believes that happy, self-motivated researchers are more apt to produce creative work.

by Kerry Landers

When Rich Lopez first arrived at Dartmouth to begin his graduate studies this past fall, he quickly immersed himself in the rich academic life of his home department,  Psychological and Brain Sciences. He attended various talks, conferences, and academic extracurricular activities associated with his research interests. While Lopez fully enjoyed these great opportunities, he sought a venue for graduate students to share their research with the broader public and add to the interdepartmental collaboration at Dartmouth.  After he spoke with several fellow PBS graduate students and found out they shared the same concern, the initial idea for GradTalks was born.

“I was surprised to learn that there weren’t forums to talk about research outside of one’s own department,” says Lopez.  Noting the tendency for academics to become immersed in the daily grind of lab research, Lopez saw firsthand how easy it was for graduate students to forget about the real-world implications of what they study–as well as how their research might benefit from cross-sectional perspectives and reflection.

“I consider myself very passionate–and yes, nerdy–about what I do, as do most of my fellow graduate students,” says Lopez.  “But I often wonder–what is the ‘take home’ message?  How can my research make a greater impact on society?”

For Lopez, these questions ultimately drove him to spearhead the creation of GradTalks, an interdisciplinary graduate conference occurring next Thursday, May 17th.  Devised as a platform to showcase the exciting lines of research conducted by Dartmouth graduate students, GradTalks will feature students from a variety of academic departments.  Each graduate student presenter will receive 10-15 minutes to deliver a dynamic presentation on an academic topic of their choosing, followed by a five minute Q & A period.  There will also be a reception following the talks to further facilitate interaction between graduate students and audience members.

In many ways, GradTalks is a spin-off from Nerd Nite, a relatively new social event that has become increasingly popular with graduate students and that Lopez is also involved with.  Nerd Nite features a similar format of graduate students informally presenting their research to an audience consisting mostly of people outside their home departments. Students at Nerd Nite are also able to practice their presentation skills and receive helpful feedback from graduate students from other academic disciplines.

“The ability to tailor a talk to a wider audience is a very important skill for a scientist,” explains Lopez, noting that this ability to communicate high-level scientific concepts to general audiences can have a huge impact in terms of increasing public awareness of certain scientific issues.  “It’s a win-win, both from the graduate student’s perspective and for the people in attendance.”

The theme of this year’s conference is “‘The Self: from Cells to Stars,” and will feature topics ranging from the importance of bacteria that make up the human microbiome, to the neuroscience behind what gives rise to consciousness and a sense of self. According to Lopez, the theme of the event is purposely vague in order to inspire far-reaching thought and to include presentations from a variety of perspectives. While the promotional tagline of GradTalks, “…and you thought professors did all the research!” pokes fun at the undergraduate-dominated Dartmouth establishment, according to Lopez the event isn’t just about bringing attention to graduate students, but also about showing the wider Upper Valley community what sort of research is being done at Dartmouth.

“It’s Dartmouth College, but Dartmouth is a world-class university with cutting-edge research occurring everyday—largely by graduate students,” says Lopez.  “We’re trying to bring more awareness to graduate research, but also want to demystify who graduate students are and what they do.”

1st Annual Dartmouth College GradTalks

Thursday, May 17th, 7pm

B03 Moore Hall

www.dartgradtalks.org

by Erin O’Flaherty

On Tuesday, April 10^th, Dartmouth’s Graduate Student Council (GSC) announced the recipients of the 2012 Faculty Mentor Awards at the Graduate Poster Session. Established in 2005, the award recognizes and highlights the outstanding graduate mentoring activities that are undertaken by Dartmouth faculty advisors. In addition to publicly recognizing each recipient’s contributions to the school’s graduate community, the GSC also credits $500 dollars to each faculty member’s Dartmouth account to encourage further mentoring. This year, Dean Madden of Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB) and Thalia Wheatley of Psychological and Brain Sciences (PBS) were selected for the award.

Each year, students from all of Dartmouth’s Arts and Sciences graduate programs submit letters of recommendation to the Graduate Studies Office for faculty members who they feel exhibit excellent mentoring qualities. All nominated faculty members are then asked to email their curriculum vitae to the award’s selection committee—a panel of student volunteers from the GSC’s Executive Board—who then review all of the letters of recommendation submitted for each nominee before selecting the award’s recipients. 

Professor Thalia Wheatley of Psychological and Brain Sciences (PBS) was selected as one of this year’s award recipients. A Dartmouth faculty member since 2006, Wheatley’s lab is currently comprised of three graduate students and five research assistants. The primary research focus of Wheatley’s lab is how humans understand and react to other individuals, and how the human brain has evolved to handle the computations underlying this social intelligence.

Thalia Wheatley was chosen as a recipient of this year’s Faculty Mentor Award by the Graduate Student Council because of her dedication to graduate mentorship at Dartmouth, and her ability to advise graduate students with varying research interests. As explained by Oliva Kang, a member of Wheatley’s lab who also works with an advisor from Digital Musics, “in addition to the three graduate students in her lab, Dr. Wheatley also mentors two graduates of Dartmouth’s Digital Musics department, and has many collaborators both in and outside of the department.”

Two years ago, the research of Professor Wheatley’s advisees took Thalia and two of her graduate students to rural Cambodia to study how non-Western cultures perceived both emotion and biological movement in music. “We traveled through rough territory in an off-road vehicle for 2 hours in each direction every day to work long hours… and assimilated to the norms of a foreign culture. Because of Thalia’s patience and unwavering dedication, [the trip] was ultimately a scientific success,” said Beau Sievers, a recent graduate from Digital Musics.

In addition, several students spoke of Wheatley’s ability to promote self-guided research that builds upon the academic strengths of her students. “[Thalia] has the uncanny ability to understand and play to people’s strengths while appreciating and educating their weakness,” wrote Christine Looser, a fifth-year PhD candidate in Wheatley’s lab. [She] encourages each of her students to think critically, question assumptions, and do high-quality work…By allowing her students to develop ownership of their research she has made each of us more thoughtful, inspired, and harder-working scientists.”

Congratulations, Professor Wheatley! The Graduate Student Council thanks you for all of your contributions to Dartmouth’s graduate community.