Spotlight On: Lynandrea Mejia
Name: Lynandrea Mejia
Role: Undergraduate Research Assistant
Education: Wellesley College, B.A. Neuroscience (May 2020)
Hometown: Warwick, RI
1. What are 3 big questions you are interested in answering?
If there is a potential for sensitive periods, at what age in development would we find them?
Do genetics and/or environmental factors play a role in making people more susceptible to mental illness?
What actions must be done to help prevent the onset of mental illness, when children have been exposed to adversities during sensitive periods?
2. What are you looking forward to working on in the lab?
In the lab, I have been reading journal articles and extracting data about sensitive periods to help aid Erin and one of her research collaborators in their process of writing a literature review on sensitive period. My work includes: reading about past and current studies that have shown potential signs for sensitive periods, organizing the information in an understandable way, and relaying the information back to my them.
3. Of your most recent accomplishments, which one are you most proud?
My most recent accomplishment which I am very proud of is being accepted into the Dunn Lab. I am excited to be working with the fantastic team of people in the lab and am looking forward to learning more about the mental health field, biological markers associated with depression, and how to best help those with mental disorders. I am excited for the future while working in the Dunn Lab and hope to learn more about the mental health field and what makes a good researcher.
4. Where would you go in a time machine?
If I could travel in time I would like to go to London during the Victorian Era because of the history and the fashion. While my knowledge of fashion is very limited, I think that the attire of that era was so interesting and beautiful. I would like to try the dresses that women wore during that time and experience what life was like back then, and learn more about that era’s politics.
5. If you could meet anyone, living or deceased, who would you meet and why?
I would meet the famous painter Claude Monet. When I was first introduced to Monet’s paintings I fell in love with his “The Water Lily Pond” painting and all of his “Water Lilies” paintings thereafter. I would love the opportunity to meet Monet and ask him about his life, his journey to become a painter, and what continued to inspire him. Also, out of curiosity, I would be interested to hear his perspective on the present day art styles.
6. You’re a new addition to the crayon box. Which color would you be, and why?
While I would like to say purple, because that is my favorite color, I would actually be the yellow crayon. Yellow is a color that makes me happy and reminds me of the sunshine on a beautiful day. I would say that I am the yellow crayon in the box because to me the color suggests brightness and joyfulness, and I am a person who likes to smile, share kindness, and help bring joy to people’s day, especially when they are feeling down.