Hi, I'm James! I was born in Winchester, Massachusetts, and I moved to the Piedmont region of North Carolina when I was only four years old. The warm and moderate weather of North Carolina helped to foster my love for nature and outdoor activities. Whether I was climbing a tree, or jumping into a nearby creek, you could always find me doing something outdoors.
It was this love for the natural world--and those that live in it--that sparked my initial questions about the brain. I assumed that because birds and squirrels acted differently, that they must have brains that are very, very different! It turns out that it is much more complicated than this. Animals with very similar brains can act very differently, and animals that have very different brains can act similarly!
Now that I am a university student, I have had many opportunities ask and answer questions about the form and function of the brain. Through classes and research, I have developed interests in how we sense things and how these senses are communicated in the brain and body. In Montreal, Quebec, I work at McGill University, a university that is famous around the world for doing really amazing brain research.
I hope you are interested in joining me on this journey as I explore the brain, the local biking culture of Montreal, and the many amazing boulangeries (bakeries) that decorate this amazing city!
Want to know more about how you can study or intern abroad when you are a college student? The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by the Institute of International Education (IIE). Learn more about the scholarship by clicking here!
