Sometimes obtaining a Hamilton degree involves much more than just a student's experience on the Hill. For Kristin Webster '09, studying neuroscience has involved the entire spectrum of topics, from the research at the cellular level under Associate Professor of Biology Herman Lehman to classes on abnormal psychology and neuropsychology during a spring abroad at Oxford University. This summer, Webster is adding practical experience in neuropsychology to the list, interning at John Heinz Rehabilitation Center in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Webster, a native of Glenburn, Pa., is working in the clinical/forensic department under a clinical neuropsychologist, observing evaluations of brain-injury patients. The evaluations are extremely complex, lasting six hours, says Webster, and they include tests of tactile performance, verbal fluency, reading, memory and visual-spatial ability. The evaluations help to establish a neuropsychological profile for each patient that shows which areas and functions are compromised, helping the physicians to understand the patient's cognitive strengths and weaknesses.
So far, Webster says, she has observed evaluations of many different kinds of cases, mostly head trauma resulting from car accidents, but also patients who have undergone surgery for brain tumors, victims of multiple sclerosis, children being tested for learning disabilities, and even gunshot victims. The results are different for each patient. "It's the same test," says Webster, "but always a different evaluation."
Having taken the tests herself when she started the internship, Webster can understand how hard the evaluation is, and explains that she was surprised how difficult it can be to stay focused on the patients' performances, rather than getting too involved personally in their frustration. "It has been an emotional as well as academic experience," she says. At same time the patients' perseverance can be inspiring. "They say, 'I laugh because what else am I going to do?' They have confidence that they're going to get better," says Webster. "It's very humbling."
Working at John Heinz is an opportunity that Webster appreciates not only because it gives her practical experience in the field, but also because it allows her to live at home this summer, after spending the entire spring abroad. "I lucked out," she says. "One of the nation's leaders in brain injury rehabilitation is in my backyard." When Webster contacted a neuropsychologist at the center, he told her that interns must usually be graduate students, but he agreed to let her observe as an unpaid intern.
After a spring term spent with the UK's exchange rates, Webster says, she also needed a paying summer job, so she applied for the Jeffrey Fund Science Internship, which supports stipends for off-campus student internships in the sciences. "Knowing that funding was available gave me confidence to accept the internship," she says, and advises potential interns, "Don't let an unfunded internship stop you from applying to something that's going to be a great experience."
A Newman Council member and a teaching assistant for the Statistics of Psychology class, Webster is also active in HAVOC and on the executive board of Hogwarts at Hamilton. After Hamilton, she says, she has "more school ahead." With her varied experiences at Hamilton, Oxford and John Heinz, she is able to integrate different aspects of neuroscience and see how they intersect. She has no exact idea of what career she wants to pursue, but as she aptly puts it, "at least I know the range of options."
-- by Laura Bramley
Webster, a native of Glenburn, Pa., is working in the clinical/forensic department under a clinical neuropsychologist, observing evaluations of brain-injury patients. The evaluations are extremely complex, lasting six hours, says Webster, and they include tests of tactile performance, verbal fluency, reading, memory and visual-spatial ability. The evaluations help to establish a neuropsychological profile for each patient that shows which areas and functions are compromised, helping the physicians to understand the patient's cognitive strengths and weaknesses.
So far, Webster says, she has observed evaluations of many different kinds of cases, mostly head trauma resulting from car accidents, but also patients who have undergone surgery for brain tumors, victims of multiple sclerosis, children being tested for learning disabilities, and even gunshot victims. The results are different for each patient. "It's the same test," says Webster, "but always a different evaluation."
Having taken the tests herself when she started the internship, Webster can understand how hard the evaluation is, and explains that she was surprised how difficult it can be to stay focused on the patients' performances, rather than getting too involved personally in their frustration. "It has been an emotional as well as academic experience," she says. At same time the patients' perseverance can be inspiring. "They say, 'I laugh because what else am I going to do?' They have confidence that they're going to get better," says Webster. "It's very humbling."
Working at John Heinz is an opportunity that Webster appreciates not only because it gives her practical experience in the field, but also because it allows her to live at home this summer, after spending the entire spring abroad. "I lucked out," she says. "One of the nation's leaders in brain injury rehabilitation is in my backyard." When Webster contacted a neuropsychologist at the center, he told her that interns must usually be graduate students, but he agreed to let her observe as an unpaid intern.
After a spring term spent with the UK's exchange rates, Webster says, she also needed a paying summer job, so she applied for the Jeffrey Fund Science Internship, which supports stipends for off-campus student internships in the sciences. "Knowing that funding was available gave me confidence to accept the internship," she says, and advises potential interns, "Don't let an unfunded internship stop you from applying to something that's going to be a great experience."
A Newman Council member and a teaching assistant for the Statistics of Psychology class, Webster is also active in HAVOC and on the executive board of Hogwarts at Hamilton. After Hamilton, she says, she has "more school ahead." With her varied experiences at Hamilton, Oxford and John Heinz, she is able to integrate different aspects of neuroscience and see how they intersect. She has no exact idea of what career she wants to pursue, but as she aptly puts it, "at least I know the range of options."
-- by Laura Bramley
