Elizabeth Goldstein is a graduate of UB having completed a BA in psychology. She is a flutist in the UB Symphonic Orchestra and has been playing the flute for 13 years. Besides the flute, she has also recently started to learn the piccolo and ukulele. She is interested in how the auditory system and brain work together in both music and language, two distinctly human experiences.
Matthew Proy is a Senior at UB studying both Psychology and Philosophy. He has been a classically trained pianist for the past 10 years, and has accompaniment experience in both choirs and jazz bands. He is interested in the relationship between musical imagery and performance quality, vocal imitation, and broader philosophical issues concerning language—such as theories of reference and empty names. After graduation, Matthew intends to attend graduate school for Cognitive Psychology.
Mythili Thamilchelvam (pronounced my-tea-lee) graduated from UB in May 2023 with a major in Psychology and completed an Honor’s Project in APAL. She enjoys listening to music in different languages. She used to play the harmonica and the keyboard as a child but she has lost touch now.
Naiyyir Hossain is a senior majoring in computer science and psychology, looking to go to graduate school for educational data science. He is very excited to contribute to the lab as both a research assistant and the lab programmer. While he doesn’t have any formal music training, he is very eager to learn how the brain conceptualizes it.
Zarin Tasnim is a senior at UB majoring in psychology with a minor in biological sciences. Zarin tends to excel under pressure and notices minute details. She is also currently working as a Student Assistant at UBIT’s Chief Information Officer’s office. Her Spotify playlist is a collection of 5-7 languages as she believes music is an interesting way to learn a new language. Zarin has a passion for research and statistics and aspires to be a research psychologist in the future.
Leah Gachowski is a senior psychology student at UB. She has some minor musical training in piano and guitar but prefers to listen to and admire the music others create. This includes all sorts of genres such as emo, folk, indie, country, rock, and jazz. She is interested in how music and language are processed in the brain and how music may augment our perception of emotions and pain. In her free time, she enjoys weightlifting, crocheting, going to live music shows, and playing rugby.
Yichen Lu is an undergraduate student at UB majoring in Psychology. After graduating, he hopes to attend graduate school in clinical psychology. Yichen has experience playing the Hulusi (a traditional Chinese free-reed instrument) and the Dizi (Chinese bamboo flute). He also has a hobby in language learning and currently knows how to speak four languages to varying fluency levels. He is a native speaker of Chinese and is currently learning Japanese and Spanish. Yichen is seeking to gain hands-on research experience at APAL to build a foundation for his career as a researcher.
Ryan Lane is a junior at UB pursuing his Bachelor of Science in Psychology. He has almost 10 years of experience with the guitar and has had five years of experience with the clarinet. Ryan’s interests are cognitive functions of the brain, the unconscious mind, and the study of the auditory cortex. Some of his other interests include weightlifting, football, and jazz music. After graduation, Ryan plans on getting a PhD in cognitive functions.
Caden Giardino is a sophomore at UB studying psychology with a minor in music. Caden is a member of the UB Choir, Voice Studio, and plays the piano. In his free time, he enjoys listening to jazz, going to the gym, and hanging out with friends. He is interested in the impacts of emotional and psychological aspects of music. After graduation, he plans on going to graduate school to study psychology.
Grace LeVea is a junior at the University at Buffalo, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Addiction Studies. After completing her undergraduate degree, she hopes to apply to the Cognitive Psychology Doctoral Program at UB and earn her PhD in Cognitive Psychology. She has an extensive background in music, including eleven years of classical training as a violinist and vocalist. Her research interests include Alzheimer’s disease, music cognition, and addiction.
Benjamin Babcock is a junior at UB majoring in psychology. He previously studied at Brooklyn College and Temple University with a major in music technology. Ben participated in band throughout his primary and secondary education, later expanding his musical skills by learning guitar and teaching himself piano, alongside music theory. He also has recorded and produced songs for his cousin who is now studying songwriting in Nashville. His interest in psychology emerged from his curiosity about the principles underlying music theory and his studies of Buddhist teachings and meditation, which necessitates understanding the mind and its patterns. After completing his undergraduate degree, Ben plans to pursue a master’s and/or PhD in music cognition and research the perception of harmony and emotion.