Visiting the Center for Brain Recovery: Interview with BU CBR Alumni Visiting Scholars Karen Arellano and Brandi BeCoats.
The Center for Brain Recovery hosts a passionate team of undergraduate and master’s students, PhD candidates, faculty and staff. CBR also welcomes visiting students and interns from other institutions to collaborate on research projects and receive valuable training. In this edition, we interviewed two of our visiting scholars Karen Arellano and Brandi BeCoats to share about their experience and how CBR helped them grow and learn as students in the field of brain recovery.
Karen Arellano visited the Center for Brain Recovery this past spring from the Basque Center on Cognition Brain and Language (BCBL) in Gipuzkoa, Spain. Arellano was inspired by a talk CBR Founding Director Dr. Swathi Kiran presented to BCBL which touched upon ongoing research projects in bilingual aphasia(1,2,3,4,5). This presentation sparked Arellano’s interest in CBR’s approach to aphasia recovery and motivated her to reach out for a research stay. During her time at CBR, Arellano aimed to learn how to map stroke lesions and implement Principal Component Analysis on her data. As Arellano reports, she not only achieved these goals but also gained valuable insights from the collaborative and supportive environment at CBR.
Brandi BeCoats traveled from the University of Houston Department of Communication Sciences to visit CBR this past summer, utilizing the collaborative partnership between the University of Houston and Sargent College at Boston University. BeCoats frequently engages with the CBR’s work, as she researches neurogenic disorders, so having the opportunity to work alongside the team in Boston was a great fit and an exciting endeavor. During her three month stay, BeCoats worked on a grant submission, a manuscript, and conference presentation proposals, successfully accomplishing her goals through collaboration with the CBR team and dedication. Reflecting on her experience, she elaborated that her time at CBR allowed her to, “think more broadly about the implications of research on stroke recovery” and develop her understanding of a range of methodological and statistical approaches to recovery. One of these approaches was through collaboration with a visiting student to explore the utility of generative AI in aphasia rehabilitation (6).
Arellano and BeCoats both noted the collaborative and friendly environment as being the highlight of their stay, explaining their fondness for research and journal meetings where lab members come together to discuss their recent research and notable publications in the field of brain recovery. “These were the times when I got to witness the dynamics of the team. Undergrads, master and PhD students, professors, everyone was there presenting their progress, discussing relevant papers and exchanging opinions, suggestions and ideas,” said Arellano. “These interactions were a motivation for me to discuss, read and think about topics I wasn’t so familiar with.” BeCoates reiterated the sentiment, “I thoroughly enjoyed hearing different research proposals and perspectives from a talented group of people.”
Arellano was also part of the CBR team during the transition to our new space, commenting on how she enjoyed the Open House experience as it was a great opportunity to connect with more people who had contributed to the CBR team or were eager to support its mission.
Reflecting on their experience, Arellano and BeCoats expressed how they would highly recommend joining the CBR as a visiting student or team member, commenting on how valuable it was for them as PhD students focused on post-stroke aphasia. Arellano explained, “the team creates an enriching atmosphere where you are encouraged to reflect about your own research, learn about other projects, acquire new skills and actively exchange ideas.” BeCoats elaborated, “The CBR is an excellent choice for those who want to develop professional and personal knowledge in a fast-paced and supportive research environment. The team is complete with passionate, hardworking people who make the CBR special. I would 100% recommend visiting to any student or person who would like to contribute to brain injury research.”
To join the CBR, please contact us at brainrec@bu.edu and we can connect you with a member of our team for more information!
1. Advancing Bilingual Aphasia Treatment With Boston University Researchers’ PROCoM Projects
3. Assessing Reading in Bilingual Aphasia (ARiBA)
4. Bilingual Computational Modeling for Stroke and Dementia
6.What Can Digital Diagnosis and Digital Therapeutics Tell Us About the Brain?
To learn more about the work being done at the CBR, watch our recent interview with Founding Director Dr. Swathi Kiran.