Dan Arnstein '09 will pursue neuroscience research in Holland, while Angelina Gomes '09 and Elizabeth Gray '08 will teach English in Spain and Uruguay respectively.
Two current Haverford students and one recent alumna will spend next year abroad thanks to the Fulbright program. Dan Arnstein '09 has been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship, while Angelina Gomes '09 and Elizabeth Gray '08 have received Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships.
Psychology major Arnstein will explore cognitive neuroscience in Groningen, Holland, specifically focusing on the neural mechanisms of empathy and understanding others' actions, intentions, sensations, and emotions.“We're attempting to characterize the activity of human ‘mirror neurons,' brain cells which fire both when we perform an action and when we witness the action being performed by someone else,” he says.“To do so, we will primarily use functional MRI scanning and EEG recordings.”
Gomes, a psychology major with a Spanish minor, will teach English in a suburb of Madrid, Spain, called Fuenlabrada. She also plans to volunteer at a medical clinic. Gomes, who studied in Spain during her junior year at Haverford, is happy to have found an opportunity to return to the country.“The Fulbright seemed like the perfect chance,” she says.“It allows me to pursue my interest in working with youths, while having the opportunity to really involve myself in the Spanish community and culture.”
Gray will go to Uruguay to work in both a school with an English immersion program and a high school teacher development center. Additionally, she hopes to facilitate language classes for parents as well as English-language book clubs, and plans to take two classes at one of the local universities.“As both a student and a teacher, I hope to gain a more nuanced understanding of the Uruguayan educational system, allowing me to relate better with my own students,” says Gray, who majored in comparative literature at Haverford.
