I am a UC Davis student majoring in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, and have been an editor for this journal for three years now. I am passionate about neuroscience and psychology. Most particularly, studying the cognitive and physiological aspects of how memory develops. I wrote this article to highlight the neural mechanisms behind working memory and learn more about the specific neural activity that shapes how we encode and retrieve memory. 

I joined Language Learning Lab at the Center for Mind and Brain and worked with Dr. Katharine Graf Estes as a research assistant from Spring 2023 to Spring 2024. Through this experience, I learned how to recruit participants for studies, study empirical papers critically, and build a solid foundation to understand the various projects that the Language Learning Lab is currently undertaking. I was recommended to apply for the Provost’s Undergraduate Fellowship and pursue a capstone project for my final year of undergrad.

There are several structural and functional abnormalities associated with the development of schizophrenia. This paper offers an overview of recent research on the development of schizophrenia, identifying patients at risk as early as possible, and current treatments. This disease results in hallucinations, delusions, and can severely impact day-to-day function due to cognitive dysfunction. By developing more targeted therapies and implementing them as early as possible, physicians can prevent loss of brain volume and decline of cognitive skills in schizophrenic patients.

Author Bio: Elijah Valerjev is a recent graduate with the class of 2024, obtaining his degree in Microbiology with a double minor in Professional Writing and Education. He enjoys writing and learning about various science topics associated with the brain and substances. Additionally, he has an interest in free-form writing and intends to publish several novels about introspective stories, both fiction and nonfiction. In his free time, he enjoys boxing, baking, and buying books.

What is babytalk and why do we do it? Do all caregivers use babytalk? Is it harmful or does it help at all? Questions surrounding children’s language development were not simply raised by parents—developmental researchers have devoted their studies for decades to find answers to these questions. In acquiring a more holistic understanding of babytalk, we must dive into how adults truly speak to infants, what the kind of speech babies prefer to hear, and what it all means for their development.

Author's Note
Krcmar, 2011; DeLoache et al., 2010; Dynia et al., 2021; Neuman et al., 2014 assessed the effectiveness of teaching technology and media on teaching infants language and reading skills.

I wrote this short literature review for my Cognitive Development class. This paper was part of a quarter-long term project that involved summarizing cognitive development research for an academic audience and then translating those findings for a lay audience. Because of the requirements of the term project, this paper, even though it’s mostly academic, makes practical recommendations for parents.

I wrote this paper for my CMN 161: Health Communications class to research more about suicide in the U.S. I first explore the suicide crisis in the U.S. from multiple different perspectives in order to understand the factors that lead to increased suicidality and the current interventions that exist for tackling the suicide crisis. Later on in the paper, I then discuss the purpose and effectiveness of the #RealConvo campaign conducted by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention during May 2019.

Courtney Banzon is a fourth year undergraduate student studying Psychology and Sociology at the University of California, Davis. Courtney’s interests in psychology lay primarily in the realm of clinical and abnormal psychology. Through her studies, Courtney learned about the use of exposure therapy to treat combat veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This piqued her curiosity about other methods used to treat trauma disorders.

Elijah Valerjev is a recent graduate with the class of 2024, obtaining his degree in Microbiology with a double minor in Professional Writing and Education. He enjoys writing and learning about various science topics associated with the brain and substances. Additionally, he has an interest in free-form writing and intends to publish several novels about introspective stories, both fiction and nonfiction. In his free time, he enjoys boxing, baking, and buying books.