New Faces at Gothard Lab
Two new graduate students are starting their dissertation work in the lab this summer: Michael Cardenas and Archer Bowman. Although their projects are in the 'design' phase, the general direction of their research is starting to crystallize.
Archer came to the lab with the desire to understand the algorithm of social and affective behavior and the neural circuits that implement these algorithms. He will gain a deeper understanding of the circuits by exploring how they are remodeled during adolescence.
Michael brought to the lab a passion for mind-body interactions. He will re-ignite a line of research on autonomics and combine it with monitoring neural activity in the central autonomic network and multiple other areas to determine how bodily states factor into social decision-making.
We have two medical students on summer research rotation: Rose Anderson, who is finishing her second year, and Shruti Shah, who just finished her first year. Finally we have two remarkably fast-learning undergraduates: Cam Bolles and Sun Woo Kim (known as Sam when they are together), both new to primate social behavior - although this did not stop them from contributing meaningfully to our ongoing projects on social hierarchy.
