Academics Page
Age: 21
Hometown: Broomall, PA
Year: Senior
Major: Neuroscience
Minor(s): Spanish, Management, History, Nutrition Studies Concentration
School Activities: Scranton Neuroscience Society, Excess Food For Others Recovery Team (EFFORT), Writing Center Consultant, Coordinator of Food Pantry and Clothes Closet at the Leahy Clinic for the Uninsured, Justice Action Network
Career Goals: Master’s in Public Health with a concentration in Global Health and possibly a Master’s or PhD in Cultural Anthropology.
Why I decided to do research: I was interested in participating in the conservation psychology lab because environmental issues and public health problems are forever intertwined (for example, global warming has allowed mosquitoes to reproduce and thrive in the stagnant waters of various cities, introducing the malaria epidemic to previously unaffected and unprepared populations). I was also drawn to the conservation psychology lab because parallels exist between the lab’s research areas and the biggest hurdles to successful public health programs: behavior change and making the welfare of society a priority. Whether it be persuading an at-risk group to participate in an HIV/AIDS prevention program or altering a community’s entrenched social stigma towards modern medicine, behavior change is at the core of transforming unhealthy populations into healthy ones. I am deeply interested in understanding how the actions of societies as a whole influence the probability of whether an individual will “go against the grain” and alter their behavior in order to lead a healthier lifestyle.