2023-2024 Outstanding Graduate: Lauren Gilman ’24
2022-2023 Outstanding Graduate: Caitlin Bannister ’23
Caitlin was inspired to major in neuroscience when she came to Western after working as a caregiver. An accomplished student, Caitlin participated in the Honors College, completed extracurricular research and won the Goldwater Scholarship. She also served as president of the NeRDS neuroscience student club and interned at University of Washington—all while commuting from Everett. Next, Caitlin will begin work on her doctorate at Brown University through the National Institutes of Health’s Graduate Partnerships Program.
2021-2022 Outstanding Graduate: Aliyah Dawkins ’22
Congratulations to Aliyah Dawkins ’22, the Behavioral Neuroscience Program’s Outstanding Graduate from the school year 2021-2022. To learn more about Aliyah please read on, “As I leave Western, I am planning to take a gap year doing post-bacc work to strengthen my resume before applying to Ph.D. programs in Psychopharmacology. While I do feel as though, western’s BNS program set me up for success in a Ph.D. program, I believe in taking a short break for professional and personal growth before continuing my educational journey. When I continue my educational journey by pursuing a Ph.D., I hope to be better equipped to work in drug discovery and genetic therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. From there, hopefully I will be able to change the lives of people living with neurodegenerative diseases for the better. My research experience, like most, has been extremely fulfilling. Though, Dr. Adrienne Wang’s lab is within the biology department, the work I do with her lines up beautifully with what the BNS program teaches and is all about. Under her instruction and guidance, I have had the unique opportunity to work with a drosophila model of Alzheimer’s. The scope of our project more specifically is looking at the knock-down of specific proteins within neuronal cells and how those alter the level of amyloid plaques and tau tangles. Currently, she has me on an independent project validating our knock-down technique and hopefully, we will be able to submit our work for publication by June! Due to my own diligence and determination, I have been awarded Western’s Scholar athlete of the year for the past two years. This award has recognized my high performance within the classroom in addition to my All-American status! Balancing academics, research, and athletics have been difficult but rewarding. I have also been recognized by the Chemistry department itself and will be completing my double biochemistry major with honors!”
2020-2021 Outstanding Graduate: Reece Budinich ’21
Congratulations to Reece Budinich ’21, the Behavioral Neuroscience Program’s Outstanding Graduate from the school year 2020-2021. To learn more about Reece please read on, “During my time at Western, I had the honor of working in Dr. Kaplan’s research lab examining the effects of commercially available CBD products on anxiety behaviors. I also enjoyed being able to participate in NeRDS club as both a member and an officer, in the Virtual Neurosurgery Internship, and as a TA for courses taught by Dr. Mana and Dr. Finlay. Outside of neuroscience, my passions include photography and making coffee. Currently, I am applying to research assistant jobs, and I eventually plan on attending graduate school. I would like to thank all the amazing people that make up this program, both as students and as faculty. I am very grateful for the wonderful opportunities that this program offers, and I would highly recommend for those interested in BNS to take advantage of all the ways that they can get involved!”
2019-2020 Outstanding Graduate: Mason Hardy ’20
Congratulations to Mason Hardy ’20, the Behavioral Neuroscience Program’s Outstanding Graduate from the school year 2019-2020. To learn what Mason is working on post-graduation please read on, “After graduating from Western, I started working as a temporary Animal Care Technician for Western’s Behavioral Neuroscience Program. Recently, I have transitioned to working as a temporary Molecular Extraction Technician at Northwest Laboratory. As part of their molecular team, I assist with clinical laboratory screening for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. This has been an exciting opportunity to experience working in a clinical laboratory while helping address growing testing needs inside and outside of Washington. After Northwest Laboratory, I intend to transition into preclinical laboratory research and eventually pursue higher education through graduate school. I would like to thank all of the faculty who supported me throughout my undergraduate studies and who have motivated me to follow my ambitions. Lastly, I would like to encourage current and future BNS students to utilize the many great resources available to them through the program, and to reach out to faculty with questions or for advice.”
2019-2020 Outstanding Graduate: Mitchell Bishop ’19
Mitchell Bishop ’19 Outstanding Graduate from Behavioral Neuroscience Program 2018-2019.
Congratulations to Mitchell Bishop ’19, the Behavioral Neuroscience Program’s Outstanding Graduate from the school year 2018-2019. To find out what Mitchell is working on post-graduation, please continue reading. “Following graduation I received the NIH Postbaccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award, and joined the Neuron-Glia Signaling and Circuits Unit in the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Our lab is investigating neural and glial interactions involved in control of motor behavior, such as respiration and vocalization, in mammals! I’m excited for this opportunity to develop myself in every step of the scientific process: from experimental design to analysis and dissemination. Thank you to all the faculty that continue to give new researchers like myself opportunities to grow, in and out of the classroom. And to new undergraduate researchers in the Behavioral Neuroscience Program, seize those opportunities; you never know where an agar plate full of worms can take you!” -Mitchell Bishop
2017-2018 Outstanding Graduate: Anna Marie Yanny
Anna Marie Yanny of Seattle graduated magna cum laude with University Honors in June with a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Behavioral Neuroscience and as the Outstanding Graduate of the program. A member of Western’s Honors College, Yanny completed an ambitious research project in Associate Professor McNeel Jantzen’s Language and Neural Systems Lab, where they studied how musical training enhances speech perception. She also worked with Associate Professor Dietmar Schwartz’s Ecology Lab, studying the apple maggot fly, a major pest in the state of Washington. She presented her work at Western’s Scholars Week and she was a recipient of the Behavioral Neuroscience Neurodiagnostic Internship, which gave her experience in the PeaceHealth Neurology Clinic in Bellingham. In addition to her work in the Behavioral Neuroscience Program, Yanny founded and was president of the WWU Poets and Lyricists Club, which hosts bi-weekly poetry open mics, runs writing and performance workshops, and brings nationally known poets to campus. The most rewarding part of her college career, she said, was giving others a platform to tell their stories. Now, she wants to build a career as a neuroscience researcher and science communicator. Yanny is a graduate of Nathan Hale High School.
2016-2017 Outstanding Graduate: José Carrillo
2017 Outstanding Graduate and first generation student from Peru, José Carrillo worked with Dr. Jeff Carroll at WWU, about which he says, “Working in Dr. Carroll’s lab has taught me a lot about science and what it takes to do research. My involvement in his lab is what I’m proudest of at Western.” Jose received the Barbara Ellen Maguire Scholarship established by Dr. Veith and his family, and joined the Veiths—including Barbara Ellen Maguire— in April 2016 for a lunch in Seattle. José was a double-major in Philosophy and Behavioral Neuroscience and graduated with honors in both majors. A 2017 Outstanding Graduate in Behavioral Neuroscience and he is currently applying for medical school. https://alumni.wwu.edu/alumni-star/brain-trust-dr-veith-behavioral-neuroscience-and-our-alumni-connections
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2015-2016 Outstanding Graduate: Benjamin Ratcliff
Graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Behavioral Neuroscience, a minor in Communication Studies and as the Outstanding Graduate in Behavioral Neuroscience. Ratcliff worked as a resident adviser in University Residences for two years and worked in the Human Cognition and Neural Dynamics Lab. He is co-author of a research paper on how the brain processes infant faces differently than adult faces, now out for review. Ratcliff also studied abroad in India and Nepal to study global health and received the 2015-16 Goldman-Blackwell Scholarship. He was also a member of Western’s Cuong Nhu martial arts club. Next, he’ll move to Miami to teach Biology through Teach for America, then continue on to graduate school to become a neuropsychologist. A graduate of Lewis and Clark High School in Spokane, Ratcliff is the son of Brad Ratcliff and Robin Hines. https://westerntoday.wwu.edu/news/releases/wwu-names-2015-16-outstanding-graduates
2014-2015 Outstanding Graduate: Rebecca Scheurich
Outstanding Graduate in Behavioral Neuroscience, graduated magna cum laude in December 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts in Behavioral Neuroscience and Music. Scheurich also served as lab manager in Assistant Professor of Psychology McNeel Jantzen’s Language and Neural Systems Research Lab at WWU, orchestrating several research projects at once. She co-authored two peer review publications with Jantzen and is working on a third. Additionally, she presented her research at the Human Brain Mapping Conference and completed a neurosurgical internship with Dr. David Goldman. Meanwhile, Scheurich was an integral member of Western’s orchestra and worked in the Tutoring Center. Since graduation, Scheurich has been working as a research assistant at ILABS at the University of Washington. She has been accepted into the doctoral program in Psychology at McGill University where she will be working with Professor Caroline Palmer and colleagues at the Brain, Music, and Sound (BRAMS) International Laboratory, studying the neural mechanisms behind music production. She is the daughter of Leslie and Larry Scheurich, fiancé of pianist Michael Refvem, and graduate of Tigard High School. https://westerntoday.wwu.edu/news/releases/wwu-names-2014-15-outstanding-graduates
2013-2014 Outstanding Graduate: Andrea Marie Schiller
Outstanding Graduate for Behavioral Neuroscience, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Behavioral Neuroscience and a minor in Chemistry. At Western, Schiller was outreach coordinator for the NeRDS (Neuroscience Research-Driven Students) Club, organizing trips to elementary schools to teach neuroscience. She was president of the Pre-Dental Club and volunteered with the Whatcom County Oral Health Coalition and for events such as Sealant Day and Project Homeless Connect. Schiller is also a member of a research lab that uses gene knockout techniques to study cognitive deficits associated with schizophrenia, presenting her research at two international Society for Neuroscience conferences. She has been accepted to the Doctor of Dental Surgery program at the University of Washington and will begin in the fall. A graduate of South Bend High School, Schiller is the daughter of Geoff Schiller and Emily Popovich. https://westerntoday.wwu.edu/content/2013-14-outstanding-graduates
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