Dr. Vinci-Booher is the Principal Investigator of the LAND Lab. She received her Ph.D. in Psychology and Neuroscience from Indiana University. Her work focuses on understanding the brain changes associated with learning and using that understanding to establish biological predictors of future learning difficulties and developing effective interventions. In her spare time, she likes to run and keep up with her book club. You might also see her at your local yoga studio or walking around town with her husband.

CV | Google Scholar | ORCid | GitHub

Caroline is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the LAND Lab. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh in Cognitive Neuroscience, and a joint program of CNBC between Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. Her research focuses on employing new statistical methods to analyze learning-associated brain patterns. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, running, and watching movies.

Andrea is the Lab Manager and Brain Camp Director, as well as a Child Studies M.Ed. student. She plans to pursue a Psychology Ph.D. to study how children develop independent, goal-directed, and self-regulatory skills during transitional life stages, how behaviors are shaped by the environment, and how individual differences are reflected in brain structure and function. Outside of research, she loves travel and music!

CV

Elton is the Project Coordinator for the Sesame Street MRI Study. She graduated from the University of Connecticut, where she majored in Psychological Sciences. In the future, she plans to get her PhD in Developmental Psychology. She is interested in cognitive development studied through eye-tracking technology and MRI, especially that of handwriting development. In her free time, she enjoys reading and writing while listening to music, and yoga.

CV

Karol is the Project Coordinator for the Sesame Street Image Corpus and a recent Vanderbilt graduate with a Master's in International Education Policy & Management program. He is excited to collaborate with team members to create an original dataset for computer vision model training! In his free time, he enjoys jigsaw puzzling; it’s a great way to unwind.

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Samantha is the Explore-Exploit Learning (EEL) Project Lead, and a Child Studies M.Ed. student. She is interested in learning about how young children learn, pay attention, and how how this information can be used to inform early learning interventions. In her free time, she reads, plays with her puppy, and explores Nashville.

Jack is the Sesame Street Zoom Project Lead and an undergraduate in the College of Arts & Sciences majoring in Psychology and Medicine, Health, and Society with a minor in Data Science. He is excited to merge his passion for Psychology and Data Science. In his free time, Jack enjoys exercise, hiking, and cooking.

VUSRP Fellow

Shelby is a Research Assistant in the Cognitive Psychology in Context Program. Coming with an undergraduate major in Computer Science, she is excited to be exploring the intersections of these fields in a hands-on way! In her free time, she plays the piano, guitar, and sings! She frequently tries her hand at new hobbies.

Ashley is a Research Assistant in the Cognitive Psychology in Context Master’s Program. Originally from China, she completed her undergraduate studies in Psychology & Neuroscience at Syracuse University. She is excited to explore children's mind-wandering and enjoys plying with cats, volunteering, and trying new hobbies in her free time.

Chi is a Senior Honors Thesis student in Peabody College majoring in Cognitive Studies She is interested in how children learn and the effects on brain development and loves learning more about neuroimaging. For fun, she likes drawing, calligraphy, and traveling.

VUSRP Fellow

Sidney is a Camp Lead & Research Assistant in the College of Arts & Sciences majoring in Neuroscience and Molecular and Cellular Biology. She is interested in exploring the ways in which learning informs neuroscience and development. Outside of school and research, she enjoys reading, spending time with animals, and finding new places to eat.

Matthew is a Senior Undergraduate Research Assistant in Peabody College majoring in Cognitive Studies and Neuroscience, with a minor in Special Education. He is interested in how different parts of the brain respond to various stimuli. In his free time, he enjoys mountain biking, reading, and playing pool.

Kaden is a Senior Undergraduate Research Assistant working on the Sesame Street Archive Project. He is excited to investigate the changes in the brain that can be attributed to learning, specifically when watching Sesame Street. In his free time, he loves to both run and cook.

Colette is a Junior Undergraduate Research Assistant working as part of the Explore–Exploit Project. She is excited to explore more on how children learn and how these learning processes develop over time, as well as how environmental factors play a significant role in development. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, painting, and biking.

Kenneth is a Junior Undergraduate Research Assistant studying Cognitive Studies alongside Human and Organizational Development. He is interested in how the brain is able to develop and learn over time. In his free time, he likes to play games, watch movies, and try new cafes.

Tan is a Sophomore Undergraduate Research Assistant in the College of Arts & Sciences, double majoring in Neuroscience and Medicine, Health, and Society, with a minor in Psychology. He is interested in brain development and how external factors influence cognitive and behavioral outcomes. In his free time, he enjoys playing games, watching shows, and exploring cool boba places.

Gordon is a Sophomore Undergraduate Research Assistant in the College of Engineering, majoring in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics with minors in National Security and Data Science. He is excited to contribute to apply his computer science skills to psychological research. In his free time, he enjoys learning instruments and trying new foods.

Emily is a Sophomore Undergraduate Research Assistant at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville studying Biological Sciences. She has a strong interest in how external factors affect the brain and body! In her spare time she loves reading, painting and taking care of her plants.

Daisy is a Freshman Undergraduate Research Assistant at Peabody College majoring in Cognitive Studies and Neuroscience. She is excited to engage in research exploring the intersection of cognition and neuroscience, especially as it relates to the mind-body connection. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, swimming, and going to concerts.

Yafet is a Freshman Undergraduate Research Assistant in the College of Arts & Science, majoring in Neuroscience and Medicine, Health, & Society. He is interested in human cognition and behavior using tasks, experiments, and computational approaches. In his free time he enjoys playing soccer & basketball, watching anime, and meeting new people.

Emma is a Freshman Undergraduate Research Assistant in Peabody College, majoring in Child Development and Human and Organizational Development, with minors in Data Science and Art History. She is excited to strengthen her research skills, and deepen her understanding of how children learn. In her free time, she enjoys reading and drawing.