Dr. Agnes Caruso: From Academia to Advancing Patient-Centered Diagnostics

Dr. Eileen Cardillo on Neuroaesthetics, Beauty, and the Science of Human Experience: Part 2

Dr. Eileen Cardillo, cognitive neuroscientist and Associate Director of the Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics, discusses her research interests and career path. From her early childhood encounters with chimpanzees and a fascination with what makes humans unique in the animal world to a career in cognitive neuroscience, Dr. Cardillo explains how she realized that studying the brain was essential for understanding the human mind, leading her to pursue a career in science. Eventually focusing on linguistics, Dr. Cardillo's recent work is at the intersection of aesthetics and moral concepts.   Dr. Cardillo shares her research journey from studying language to focusing on neural mechanisms of aesthetic experience, particularly through her work at the Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics. Her team develops a vocabulary to study aesthetic experiences, using both behavioral studies and fMRI data to understand how people perceive and respond to art. She emphasizes that while some thinking occurs pre-linguistically, language can help articulate otherwise ineffable aesthetic experiences, and her team uses a statistical approach to map how different words related to aesthetic experiences cluster together.   Neurosetics, a field combining neuroscience and aesthetics, has emerged in the last two decades alongside brain imaging technology, with many foundational questions still unanswered. Dr. Cardillo discusses how she, along with her mentor, and now colleague, Dr. Anjan Chatterjee, along with their team, takes an interdisciplinary approach to neuroaesthetics. Collaborators from art history, neuroanthropology, and other fields help determine clear research questions. The center’s team meets weekly to brainstorm and refine research ideas, with projects falling into three domains: people (focusing on beauty and morality in face perception), spaces (aesthetic experiences in the built environment), and things (art engagement outcomes).   Dr. Cardillo also discusses her experience as a scientist who appreciates the creative aspects of scientific work, emphasizing the intersection between science and art. The center's artist-in-residence program, for example, provides insights into the creative process and demonstrates the shared human capacity for creativity across different fields.  Of particular interest is beauty, which is often described as a property of objects, but also as an experience or feeling. Dr. Cardillo is interested in how beauty can be found in both human creations and virtuous actions; cognitive neuroscience can help test these seemingly different accounts of beauty. For example, scientific research could investigate how often and in what contexts the word "beautiful" is used. Results of scientific investigation into beauty may help us learn how to heighten people's sensitivity to beauty and its potential effects on their lives. Dr. Cardillo also generously shares stories from her own life in connection with attempts to balance academic work with life as a single parent. With support from her colleague and mentor, Anjan Chatterjee, Dr. Cardillo has worked through remarkable challenges in her personal life.  Episode Resources: ⁠Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics⁠ [https://neuroaesthetics.med.upenn.edu/] ⁠Scholarly Publications⁠ [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=YZplNk8AAAAJ&hl=en] ⁠The Clay Studio⁠ [https://www.theclaystudio.org/staff-and-board/eileen-cardillo] —      Share your feedback: Have questions for our guests or suggestions for the show? Fill out our  ⁠⁠feedback form⁠⁠ [https://alu1vgu1zro.typeform.com/to/RZtVftt4] - we'd  love to hear from you!       Connect & explore more: Visit  ⁠⁠⁠The Life of Her Mind⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.labroots.com/podcast-series/life-of-her-mind] to listen, share, and access links and resources. Check out Labroots  scholarship opportunities ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.labroots.com/scholarships]. Submit a scientific poster to be featured in our event(s) ⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠ [https://www.labroots.com/posters].

Dr. Eileen Cardillo on Neuroaesthetics, Beauty, and the Science of Human Experience: Part 1

Dr. Eileen Cardillo, cognitive neuroscientist and Associate Director of the Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics, discusses her research interests and career path. From her early childhood encounters with chimpanzees and a fascination with what makes humans unique in the animal world to a career in cognitive neuroscience, Dr. Cardillo explains how she realized that studying the brain was essential for understanding the human mind, leading her to pursue a career in science. Eventually focusing on linguistics, Dr. Cardillo's recent work is at the intersection of aesthetics and moral concepts.   Dr. Carillo shares her research journey from studying language to focusing on neural mechanisms of aesthetic experience, particularly through her work at the Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics. Her team develops a vocabulary to study aesthetic experiences, using both behavioral studies and fMRI data to understand how people perceive and respond to art. She emphasizes that while some thinking occurs pre-linguistically, language can help articulate otherwise ineffable aesthetic experiences, and her team uses a statistical approach to map how different words related to aesthetic experiences cluster together.   Neurosetics, a field combining neuroscience and aesthetics, has emerged in the last two decades alongside brain imaging technology, with many foundational questions still unanswered. Dr. Cardillo discusses how she, along with her mentor, and now colleague, Dr. Anjan Chatterjee, along with their team, takes an interdisciplinary approach to neuroaesthetics. Collaborators from art history, neuroanthropology, and other fields help determine clear research questions. The center’s team meets weekly to brainstorm and refine research ideas, with projects falling into three domains: people (focusing on beauty and morality in face perception), spaces (aesthetic experiences in the built environment), and things (art engagement outcomes).   Dr. Cardillo also discusses her experience as a scientist who appreciates the creative aspects of scientific work, emphasizing the intersection between science and art. The center's artist-in-residence program, for example, provides insights into the creative process and demonstrates the shared human capacity for creativity across different fields.  Of particular interest is beauty, which is often described as a property of objects, but also as an experience or feeling. Dr. Cardillo is interested in how beauty can be found in both human creations and virtuous actions; cognitive neuroscience can help test these seemingly different accounts of beauty. For example, scientific research could investigate how often and in what contexts the word "beautiful" is used. Results of scientific investigation into beauty may help us learn how to heighten people's sensitivity to beauty and its potential effects on their lives. Dr. Cardillo also generously shares stories from her own life in connection with attempts to balance academic work with life as a single parent. With support from her colleague and mentor, Anjan Chatterjee, Dr. Cardillo has worked through remarkable challenges in her personal life.  Episode Resources: Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics [https://neuroaesthetics.med.upenn.edu/] Scholarly Publications [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=YZplNk8AAAAJ&hl=en] The Clay Studio [https://www.theclaystudio.org/staff-and-board/eileen-cardillo] —      Share your feedback: Have questions for our guests or suggestions for the show? Fill out our  ⁠feedback form⁠ [https://alu1vgu1zro.typeform.com/to/RZtVftt4] - we'd  love to hear from you!       Connect & explore more: Visit  ⁠⁠The Life of Her Mind⁠⁠ [https://www.labroots.com/podcast-series/life-of-her-mind] to listen, share, and access links and resources. Check out Labroots  scholarship opportunities ⁠⁠here⁠⁠ [https://www.labroots.com/scholarships]. Submit a scientific poster to be featured in our event(s) ⁠⁠here⁠⁠ [https://www.labroots.com/posters].

Dr. Agnes Caruso: From Academia to Advancing Patient-Centered Diagnostics

What drives women in science to challenge the status quo? The Life of Her Mind host, Mia Wood, discusses this question and more with Dr. Agnes Caruso, Head Consultant at Caruso International, a consulting firm specializing in the diagnostics industry, and founder of geneIQ, a nonprofit genetics and diagnostic organization aimed at helping people make sense of their genome. Hear Dr. Caruso  * discuss the evolution of diagnostic tools, and the need for integrating multi-omics data and AI to create holistic patient diagnostics, especially for conditions with vague symptoms * highlight the importance of collaboration, particularly given that successful diagnostic solutions require input from engineers, microbiologists, regulatory experts, and other specialists * discuss her career transition from academia to diagnostics, and her experience as a product manager, where she combined technical and business skills to develop products that addressed customer needs * detail the importance of point-of-care diagnostics for underserved populations and the role of patient education in combating misinformation. If  you’re inspired by women who are reimagining science and shaping the future of discovery and how that discovery happens, this conversation is one you won’t want to miss. Episode Resources: Dr. Caruso: LinkedIn page [https://www.linkedin.com/in/agnieszkacaruso/?originalSubdomain=au] Caruso International's site [https://carusointernational.com/] GeneIQ's site [https://geneiq.org/]      —      Share your feedback: Have questions for our guests or suggestions for the show? Fill out our  feedback form [https://alu1vgu1zro.typeform.com/to/RZtVftt4] - we'd  love to hear from you!       Connect & explore more: Visit  ⁠The Life of Her Mind⁠ [https://www.labroots.com/podcast-series/life-of-her-mind] to listen, share, and access links and resources. Check out Labroots  scholarship opportunities ⁠here⁠ [https://www.labroots.com/scholarships]. Submit a scientific poster to be featured in our event(s) ⁠here⁠ [https://www.labroots.com/posters].

Dr. Suanna Crowley on Applied Anthropology and Global Science Communication

What drives women in science to challenge the status quo? The Life of Her Mind host, Mia Wood, discusses this question and more with Dr. Suanna Crowley, anthropologist, geoscientist, founder of Headfort Consulting, science communications specialist, and Lead Archaeologist with SWCA, a national environmental consulting firm.    Hear  Dr. Crowly    * Discuss her path to science, particularly anthropology and geosciences, inspired by early exposure to nature shows on television and a fascination with human societies * Explain her work in applied anthropology, which involves applying academic knowledge to solve practical problems outside the academy, such as preserving archaeological resources and improving patient experiences in medical settings * Consider the growing importance of applied sciences as traditional academic roles diminish, particularly how anthropologists contribute to fields like technology and policy by understanding human interactions with new systems and processes * Detail her experience designing a social media campaign for a scientific discovery that reached 4.5 billion people globally, achieving 3.5 billion social media impressions within 48 hours If  you’re inspired by women who are reimagining science and shaping the future of discovery and how that discovery happens, this conversation is one you  won’t want to miss.  Episode Resources: Suanna's LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/suannaselbycrowley/] "Dr. Dirt" Profile [https://slis.simmons.edu/blogs/lis476/?p=418] Anthropology Career Readiness Network Blog Posts [https://anthrocareerready.net/author/suanna/] Mass Archaeology ("Diggin' In") Episide 6(S1) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEnGAXF7p3U]     —      Share your feedback: Have questions for our guests or suggestions for the show? Fill out our  feedback form [https://alu1vgu1zro.typeform.com/to/RZtVftt4] - we'd  love to hear from you!       Connect & explore more: Visit  The Life of Her Mind [https://www.labroots.com/podcast-series/life-of-her-mind] to listen, share, and access links and resources. Check out Labroots  scholarship opportunities here [https://www.labroots.com/scholarships]. Submit a scientific poster to be featured in our event(s) here [https://www.labroots.com/posters].

Dr. Katherine Roe on Rethinking Animal Testing and Redefining Scientific Research

What drives women in science to challenge the status quo? In this episode of The Life of Her Mind, host Mia Wood sits down with Dr. Katherine Roe, Chief Scientist in the Laboratory Investigations Department at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).  Hear Dr. Roe:    - explain her initial interest in science, which led her to graduate magna cum laude from Syracuse University, with degrees in biology and psychology - discuss her graduate work in psychology and cognitive science at the University of California San Diego, culminating in a PhD - discuss her post-doc fellowship at Johns Hopkins University and then research fellowship at the National Institute of Mental Health - explain the development of her thinking about the use of non-human animals in the sciences and her move to PETA - discuss the challenges and opportunities of shifting scientists’ thinking from traditional non-human animal experimentation in the sciences - explain ways in which new and emerging techniques and technologies for scientific experimentation are superior to non-human animal testing - discuss the opportunities to influence funding sources, like the NIH, on moving away from costly and minimally useful non-human animal testing in the sciences     If  you’re inspired by women who are reimagining science and shaping the future of discovery and how that discovery happens, this conversation is one you  won’t  want to miss.    Episode Resources: Dr. Roe's Academia.edu Page [https://katherineroe2.academia.edu/] Dr. Roe and Dr. Juan Carlos G. Marvizón Debate Animal Experimentation [https://dohadebates.com/faith-ethics/video-podcast-testing-our-ethics-should-we-ban-animal-experimentation/] Some of Dr. Roe's publications [https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6599-8930]    —       Share your feedback: Have questions for our guests or suggestions for the show? Fill out our  feedback form [https://alu1vgu1zro.typeform.com/to/RZtVftt4] - we'd love to hear from you!        Connect & explore more: Visit  The Life of Her Mind [https://www.labroots.com/podcast-series/life-of-her-mind] to listen, share, and access links and resources. Check out Labroots scholarship opportunities here [https://www.labroots.com/scholarships]. Submit a scientific poster to be featured in our event(s) here [https://www.labroots.com/posters].