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ABOUT US
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RESOURCES
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BrainReach Elementary Committee 2020-21
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ALICE BRUNEAU - Co-President
Born and raised in Montreal, Alice has always been passionate about the brain and how different parts of the body interact with the nervous system and has been a part of BrainReach Elementary for three years. Her passion for sports has led to many experiences with pain and injuries, which got her wondering why people feel pain differently and sometimes don’t recover optimally from an injury. Her current research focus is on the neurophysiological mechanisms of chronic pain and prescription opioid misuse. Aside from neurosciences and neuropharmacology, she is passionate about puppies, cooking a good meal, playing various sports (at the beach or in the snow!) as well as just having a good time with her friends and family! |
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NINA CAPORICCI-DINUCCI - English Volunteer Coordinator
Nina is a second year Master’s student in the Integrate Program in Neuroscience at McGill studying how a particular subset of cells in the brain, called ependymal cells, may be involved in Multiple Sclerosis progression. Nina is passionate about accessible science communication and working with kids, which made joining BrainReach a no-brainer (no pun intended!) Besides neuroscience, Nina loves getting outside, cooking/eating, and reading. |
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ARIELLE CRESTOL - English Volunteer Coordinator
Arielle is a second-year master’s student at McGill in the Integrated Program in Neuroscience. She is passionate about creating a better understanding of Alzheimer’s risk in women and is currently using imaging techniques to study the effects of menopause and genetic risk factors for Alzheimer’s on memory and brain function. As an enthusiast of all things science, she is excited to introduce neuroscience to kids in a fun and engaging way! Outside of the lab, she enjoys spending her time either in nature or curling up with her cat and a good book. |
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CAMILLE CHARLEBOIS-PLANTE - French Volunteer Coordinator
Camille completed her undergraduate studies in biomedical sciences as well as in psychology and is now a doctoral student in neuropsychology at the Université de Montréal under the supervision of Dr. Louis De Beaumont. Her main interest is the long-term effects of mild traumatic brain injuries and sports concussions, as well as factors influencing post-trauma recovery. Through various non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, she evaluates the consequences of a blow to the head on neuronal plasticity. Beyond her academic interests, Camille is a yoga enthusiast and a true Foodie. This is Camille's first year as Volunteers coordinator for French Elementary Schools, but her second year as a volunteer teacher for BrainReach. She is always delighted to share her passion for neurosciences with students. |
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HYO LEE - Co-President
Hyo is in the fourth year of his PhD study in the Integrated Program in Neuroscience at McGill University. His research uses MRI and machine learning to model individual differences between epilepsy patients in order to predict their medication and surgical outcomes. Hyo loves to inspire enthusiasm, curiosity and thinking in young students about cool ideas in neuroscience and is excited to lead the team to make BrainReach even more compelling to young minds! |
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ALEXANDRA POTVIN-DESROCHERS -
French School Coordinator & French Translator After completing her undergraduate degree and the MSc in Kinesiology, Alexandra is now doing her PhD in the Integrated Program in Neuroscience at McGill. Her research uses brain imaging and non-invasive brain stimulation to study locomotion symptoms of individuals with Parkinson’s disease. This is Alexandra’s fourth year volunteering for BrainReach. She is now the French School Coordinator, and is also part of the on-call French translators team |
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VICTORIA JONES - Materials Coordinator
Victoria is a Neuroscience graduate proudly from Wales. Though currently taking a break from neuroscience research, Victoria is pursuing her desire to study and teach foreign languages. In her spare time, she loves to surf, to get creative in the kitchen and to explore all the cute tea spots around Montréal. This will be Vicki’s second year on the BrainReach Elementary team and she is very excited about current projects the team are working on, despite the pandemic! |
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HILARY SWEATMAN - Materials Distributor
Hilary is a PhD student in the Integrated Program in Neuroscience. Her interests include cognitive development and education, and her research focuses on memory and social cognition in children with autism. Hilary is passionate about science outreach and hopes to encourage active learning, curiosity, and enthusiasm about the brain with her students. She spends her free time baking, kayaking, and exploring Montreal! |
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SOFIA SKROMNE - Materials Distributor
Sofia is a second year PhD Neuroscience student at McGill. She moved to Montreal after completing her undergraduate degree in Neuroscience and Biochemistry at the University of Toronto. Her research interests encompass learning and memory, as well as addiction and PTSD. This is her second year volunteering for BrainReach Elementary and she is super excited to be a part of the team! |
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SHAIMA ALSUWAIDI -
Materials Distributor and Presentation Designer Shaima is pursuing a PhD program in the IPN. Her research interests lie in using human tissue, cell culture techniques, and gene sequencing to understand diseases and disorders. This is her second year volunteering with Brain Reach Elementary as the Materials and Supplies Distributor and she is excited to also be working on presentation designs this year! She is passionate about inspiring people to use their skills and contribute to communities, and has been organizing creative learning programs in the UAE, Jordan and Zanzibar for 3 years now. Feel free to reach out to her if you want to chat about creative ideas! |
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ALEXA DERKSEN - Presentation Designer
Alexa is a second year Master’s student in the Integrated Program of Neuroscience at McGill University. Her research project focuses on the characterization of a novel gene believed to be implicated in an ultra rare leukodystrophy. In her free time Alexa enjoys playing soccer and baking. She is excited to express her creative side as presentation designer and hopes to inspire students’ interest in brain. |
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ALEXANDER BAILEY -
Communications Officer and Presentation Designer Alex is a recent graduate of Concordia University with a Bachelor of Science degree in honours behavioural neuroscience. He is currently working as research assistant in the Neural ABC Laboratory at Concordia University, where he examines functional connectivity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) analysis. Interested in all things brain-related, and after one year of volunteering with BrainReach Elementary, he is delighted to work as BrainReach Elementary’s Communications Officer and on the Presentation Design team. Having experienced BrainReach when he was in elementary school himself, Alex hopes that his full-circle journey might help inspire another generation to pursue the beauty and wonder of science and neuroscience. |
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SONJA SOO - External Events Coordinator
Sonja is a third year PhD student in the Integrated Program in Neuroscience at McGill University. Her research focuses on the genetics of aging and neurodegeneration. As the External Events Coordinator, she is excited about organizing public outreach events for BrainReach. In her spare time, Sonja likes biking, rock climbing and making ceramics. |
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Previous Committee Members
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2019-20
Co-President - Noor Al-Sharif Co-President - Hyo Lee Volunteer Coordinator - Arianna Izawa-Ishiguro Volunteer Coordinator - Badriah Basma French School Coordinator - Alice Bruneau English School Coordinator - Camille Couture Materials Coordinator - Victoria Jones Materials Distributor - Hilary Sweatman Materials Distributor - Shaima Alsuwaidi Materials Distributor - Sofia Skromne Presentation Designer - Alexa Derksen Presentation Designer - Nicholas James External Events - Sonja Soo Communications Officer - Alexander Bailey French Translator - Alexandra Potvin-Desrochers 2016-17
President - Daniel Zhou Volunteer Coordinator - Yvonne Yau Volunteer Coordinator - Zahraa Chorghay French School Coordinator - Anastasia Sares French School Coordinator - Marie-Julie Allard English School Coordinator - Sreeparna Pradhan English School Coordinator - Gloria Castaneda Material Preparation - Reesha Raja Material Distributor - Noor Al-Sharif Presentation Designer - Scott Bell Presentation Designer - Keren Ginzberg Communications/Social Media - Falisha Karpati |
2018-19
President - Noor Al-Sharif Volunteer Coordinator - Yvonne Yau Volunteer Coordinator - Zahraa Chorghay French School Coordinator - Alice Bruneau English School Coordinator - Nicole Ledwos Materials Preparation - Jennifer Boateng Materials Distributor - Nicholas James Presentation Designer - Reesha Raja Presentation Designer - Hyo Min Lee External Events - Gloria Castaneda Communications/Social Media - Marie-Julie Allard 2015-16
President - Falisha Karpati Volunteer Coordinator - Yvonne Yau Volunteer Coordinator - Zahraa Chorghay French School Coordinator - Veronique Laforte French School Coordinator - Anastasia Sares English School Coordinator - Gloria Castaneda English School Coordinator - Sreeparna Pradhan Materials Preparation - Kangjoo Lee Materials Distributor - Reesha Raja Presentation Design - Daniel Zhou Presentation Design - Scott Bell |
2017-18
President - Anastasia Sares Volunteer Coordinator - Yvonne Yau Volunteer Coordinator - Zahraa Chorghay French School Coordinator - Maria Zamfir French School Coordinator - Marie-Julie Allard English School Coordinator - Scott Bell English School Coordinator - Gloria Castaneda Materials Preparation - Philip Cooper Materials Distributor - Jennifer Boateng Presentation Designer - Noor Al-Sharif Presentation Designer - Reesha Raja Communications/Social Media - Katrine Iversen Previous years
Emily Coffey, Jonathan Berken, Laureline Arnaud, Jessie Kulaga, Neda Parine, Sibylle Herholz, Jenea Bin, Cindy Hovington, Pascal Kropf, Rola Dali, Gina Trinh, Ian Mahar |