Sacha Sergent will be taking over our Instagram account on Wedesday, March 9 to share her experience as a member of the Northeastern University Researchers of Neuroscience club. Follow along for an inside look at Brain Awareness Week happening 3/7-3/11.
What is your major, and when are you graduating?
Behavioral Neuroscience (BNS), Class of 2024.
Tell us about yourself. Why did you decide to enroll at the COS at Northeastern University and pursue this major?
During my sophomore year of high school, I fell in love with the brain when I saw an exhibition of Santiago Ramón y Cajal’s drawings alongside modern, technologically derived images of neurons. I studied each drawing and pretty much instantly knew that I wanted to understand how these complex forests of neurons could possibly function together. Furthermore, I wanted to learn the significance of their different structures and connections.
I chose Northeastern’s BNS program because it offers a lot of flexibility to make the major your own. Whether you are interested in clinical neuroscience, neuropsychology, computational neuroscience, microarchitecture, or macroarchitecture of the brain, the core classes allow you to build on solid foundations to explore interests in your unique way. A BNS degree can be applied in hundreds of ways in the world of work, and it can be overwhelming for students to figure out which direction best suits their goals and dreams. The co-op opportunities were also a significant factor in my decision to come here. They give students a chance to test the path they think they would like to go down without renouncing the possibility of turning back to try another one.
What is the Northeastern University Researchers of Neuroscience (NEURONS) club? What do you do?
NEURONS is for anyone and everyone interested in neuroscience. Members can be BNS majors, minors, or neither. We meet biweekly to learn from clinicians, researchers, and other students. We discuss everything neuroscience – current research topics both at Northeastern and around Boston, what it’s like to be BNS at Northeastern, BNS co-ops, life after BNS studies, and more! We also have a mentorship program called NEURONS Network that pairs first-year students with upper-class mentors who share similar interests to help guide their peers’ journey at Northeastern.
Why did you decide to join NEURONS?
I joined NEURONS because I wanted to learn more about neuroscience outside of my classes, connect with other BNS students, and get to know some of Northeastern’s BNS professors to see if I wanted to take courses with them.
Tell us about your role as public relations officer.
As public relations officer, I manage the club’s email, mailing list, and social media. I also send out event announcement emails, help my team contact speakers, and plan events!
How can joining the club enhance a student’s experience at COS and Northeastern?
Joining NEURONS can benefit anyone interested in neuroscience. Members gain exposure to current research topics, get to know professors, and meet speakers who can become mentors. Club membership can even open the door to co-op and research opportunities both on and off-campus!
Tell us about Brain Awareness Week (BAW). What is it, why do you focus on it, and how can your peers get involved?
Brain Awareness Week is a global campaign to increase public awareness of the progress and benefits of brain research. It is celebrated around the globe during the week of 3/14; however, since that is Northeastern’s spring break, NEURONS will be honoring BAW from 3/7-3/11! We will have special events, keynote speakers, free NEURONS goodies, and more to explore this year’s theme: exercise and brain health.
Students can get involved by following us on Instagram or signing up for our mailing list to get more information about the week’s events and joining us to celebrate neuroscience together!
How can students join NEURONS?
Students can join us at our biweekly meetings on Thursdays at 8 pm, both in IV 22 and on zoom. For more info, follow @northeastern_neurons on Instagram or sign up for our mailing list here!
