One research project has led to another for Kimberly Voorhies, a senior from Hudson, Massachusetts. Kim finds research very interesting and important and feels that there is no better way to learn than by doing. She says her research experience was “so satisfying, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity. I took as much as I could out of it—academically, socially, and professionally.” Kim will graduate in May with a B.A in psychology with a designation in honors from the University Honors Program. After graduation, Kim plans to either enter a doctoral program in behavioral neuroscience or continue participating in some more research assistantship programs.
Professor Robert Mair has been on the faculty of the University of New Hampshire since 1985; currently he is the chairperson of the Department of Psychology. He specializes in behavioral neuroscience, the study of brain function and how it relates to behavior. Of most interest to him are neurological diseases that impact memory and other aspects of cognition. Dr. Mair is no stranger to being a mentor. He typically works with one or two students on projects such as honors theses along with students carrying out independent projects. Dr. Mair believes a project like Kim’s is important because it “leads us to rethink the relationship between the thalamus and systems in the brain that give rise to voluntary behavior.”
Read Kim Voorhies’ research article The Effects of Damage to the Central Thalamus on Learned Behaviors >>
