Westminster College Neuroscience Major Wins National Travel Award

Ashlyn Brown, a Westminster College senior neuroscience major, won a national travel award for her research and outreach efforts in teaching preschool children about the brain.

Brown teamed with Melissa Egan, a Westminster senior early childhood/special education major, to design neuroscience games and activities to engage preschoolers in learning. They visited Westminster’s Preschool Lab many times to teach simple concepts about how the brain controls behavior.

The project was an initiative of Westminster faculty Dr. Deanne Buffalari, assistant professor of neuroscience, and Dr. Sararose Lynch, assistant professor of education, to utilize targeted educational approaches to teach neuroscience to young children and to promote interdisciplinary research.

Sponsored by The Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience and the Society for Neuroscience, competition for the award is open to any undergraduate from across the country who conducts neuroscience outreach.

The sole recipient of the travel award, Brown will attend the Society for Neuroscience conference Nov. 12-16 in San Diego to present her research in two sessions and receive recognition for her outreach and accomplishments.

Brown is a daughter of Allison Winters of Avella and a graduate of Trinity High School.

Egan is a daughter of William and Diane Egan of McDonald and a graduate of South Fayette High School.

Contact Buffalari at 724-946-7358 or email buffald@westminster.edu for additional information.

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