Lejun Liu

Hello everyone! My name is Lejun (Angela) Liu and I am from Beijing, China. This is my seventh year studying abroad in the U.S.. I am planning on double majoring in Psychology and business. Even though I am not a stem student, I still found this class extremely interesting because the material ingenuously associates art…

Jiachen Zhang

Hi everyone! My name is Jiachen Zhang and I am from Beijing, China. Since it is my first year at Emory, I’m very excited to meet new people and further explore my interests. I haven’t declared any major but I am planning to apply for the business program. This class is my first bio class…

Vanessa Wang

Hi everyone! My name is Yang (Vanessa) Wang, and I come from Beijing, China. I haven’t declared my major yet, but I’m thinking of some combination like QSS and PSYC. I don’t really have a professional biology background, but I did learn a bit of neuroscience in my psychology class before, and I found them…

Caffeine Codependence

As a college student, I am no stranger to late nights, early mornings, seemingly endless work, and not enough time to do it all. What’s the result of this? We prioritize the work over sleep and rely on coffee to get us through the day. I never really understood how caffeine works, I just remember…

Microtones and microtonal music

Microtones are musical notes, or music intervals,  smaller than semitones. This means anything from quarter tones and onwards. (microtones, 2017) Music composed of microtones originated from the Sumerians and it is part of middle eastern music.  (microtones, 2017) The interesting thing about microtones is that for most people when they hear it, it sounds out…

Secrets of the Eye

Recently in class we watched the documentary, “Secrets of the Mind,” which features scientist V.S. Ramachandran, who is known for his extensive experiments and theories in behavioral neurology. Most popularly known for developing the mirror box, a device created to help amputees who suffer from phantom limb syndrome, Ramachandran also developed theories about blind sight…

Magenta Doesn’t Exist?

Recently in class we learned about the mantis shrimp and its ability to see color like no other animal on the planet. Mantis shrimp (Stomatopoda) are brightly colored crustaceans that live on reefs. They are commonly known among fisherman as “thumb splitters” because of their hammer-like claws which can deliver blows that accelerate as fast…

Video games on the Brain

Technology has expanded the canvas upon an artist’s ability to express their stories. Videogames prove to be an art form that can solely exist in the digital space and demonstrates a collision of art and science. Our brain interprets these artists’ creations in many ways, both presenting itself as beneficial, yet also damaging to the…

We Love Pretend Play!

I just met my 5-year-old niece recently at a family gathering, and she loves pretend play. She designed different scenarios for me to participate in together with her as different characters in stories and act out the plot she wanted to experience. While playing with her, I recalled the fact that I also loved and…

Art Therapy and Stroke Patients

1 in every 4 persons has a stroke. So sadly, it’s likely that most of us have had experienced or know someone who has had a stroke. I am a part of that demographic. For me, that person was my uncle. I had never known a time where I didn’t see him in a wheelchair…