Graduate Students
The following are personal statements from current DCN graduate students:
2006 COHORT
Evelina Tapia
M.A., Psychology, University of Houston
Advisor: Bruno Breitmeyer, Ph.D.
During my third year as an undergraduate psychology student I started working as a research assistant for Dr. Bruno Breitmeyer at the University of Houston. I was always intrigued by cognitive psychology and the secret workings of the mind. In the lab, I was exposed to the vast fields of perception, attention, and consciousness. As I learned the tools of the trade from my mentor, such as visual masking and response priming paradigms, I became involved in several projects that investigated unconscious visual information processing and the role of attention in such processing. This has become my passion and, therefore, I am pursuing a doctoral degree in the field. By the end of summer of 2010 I am hoping to add three letters after my last name: Ph.D.
E-mail: etapia@uh.edu
2007 COHORT
Pilar Archila
B.S., Psychology, University of Houston
Advisor: Arturo Hernandez, Ph.D.
My current research interests focus on the mental processes and neural correlates of speech perception in early and late Spanish-English bilinguals, particularly in those with varying levels of second language proficiency. I am also interested in bilingual language processing, including speech production, reading, and language disorders, and how a second language affects cognitive processes such as memory and attention.
E-mail: mparchil@mail.uh.edu
Darby F. Hawley
B.A., Biopsychology, Randolph-Macon College
Advisor: J.L. Leasure, Ph.D.
My research interests include: stress and mental health (specifically depression and Alzheimer's disease), stress in the workplace, effective coping strategies, hippocampal integrity, and neurogenesis.
E-mail: darbyhawley@gmail.com
Odochi Ohia
B.S., Psychology, University of Texas
Advisor: Adriana A. Alcantara, Ph.D.
My general research interests include understanding the neural bases of alcoholism and other drug addictions in adults and adolescents. Specifically, my aim is to understand the cellular and molecular neuroadaptive changes that occur in addiction-related neural circuits, from the onest of an addiction to withdrawal and relapse. A better understanding of these mechanisms can aid in the development of site-specific pharmaceutical, genetic, behavioral therapies that can target these circuits.
E-mail: odochi_ohia@yahoo.com
Beth Owens
M.A., Psychology, UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
Advisor: Arturo Hernandez, Ph.D.
My main research interests are in neuroimaging, and the development of language and learning. I am currently working on two projects in the Laboratory for the Neural Basis of Bilingualism. The first one is an fMRI study of the neural activation of Spanish-English bilingual children when reading words in both languages. The second project is a study of the neural correlates of cognitive processing in athletes.
E-mail: eowens@mail.uh.edu
2008 COHORT
Mérida N. Ellis-Laracuente
B.S., Mathematics and Scientific Computing, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez
Advisor: David J. Francis, Ph.D.
I am currently working on MultiTrait-MultiMethod data from the Child Behavior Checklist. My interests include defining and measuring cognition and emotion.
E-mail: Merida.Ellis-Laracuente@times.uh.edu
Jennifer Parra
B.S., Psychology, University of Houston
Advisor: J.L.Leasure, Ph.D.
My research interests include open and closed brain injury, stroke and recovery of function. It is my goal to continue to investigate the underlying factors that modulate the severity of impairment after brain damage and the treatments and life-style habits that facilitate recovery.
E-mail: tkb2233@aol.com
2009 COHORT
Joseph Burling
B.S., Psychology, University of Houston
Advisor: Hanako Yoshida, Ph.D.
I am generally interested in understanding how specific cognitive mechanisms direct and manage attention and memory during early language acquisition. I am currently working on research projects that focus on the rapid shifting of attention between conjunctive cues, dependent upon the order of early associations.
E-mail: josephburling@gmail.com
Naomi Inoue
B.S., General Biology, California State University
Advisor: Adriana A. Alcantara, Ph.D.
My research interests focus on understanding the neurobiological basis of binge alcohol drinking in C57BL/6J mice. Our lab has previously shown that cholinergic neurons of the nucleus accumbens play an important role in binge alcohol drinking; hence, my current project investigates cellular and molecular changes in these neurons that may serve as critical mechanisms that underlie binge alcohol drinking. These findings may lead to improved treatments for alcohol abuse and alcoholism.
E-mail: naomi_iiii@yahoo.com
Jane Jacob
B.A., Biology/Psychology, College of Notre Dame of Maryland
Advisor: Bruno G. Breitmeyer, Ph.D.
I joined the DCN program in 2009. My past research includes nociception and cross-cultural studies on intelligence beliefs. I have always been interested in vision and am excited to explore the field of Visual Cognition during my time at the University of Houston. My current research interest is in visual information processing. After acquiring my degree here, I plan on pursuing a future in academia as a university professor.
E-mail: jacob311@gmail.com
Crystal Tran
Advisor: Hanako Yoshida, Ph.D.
E-mail: crystalxlite@yahoo.com