Bria
Bryant
Hometown: Wake Forest, NC
Major: Neuroscience, with a minor in Chemistry
Research Interest: Neurodevelopment and behavior of children
“Being in CSS has definitely motivated me to be the best student, mentor, and friend. Being surrounded by people who have their lives planned and work hard to achieve their goals definitely makes it easier to believe in yourself and what you have yet to achieve.
WHAT DREW YOU TO THE CSS PROGRAM?
After attending Selection Weekend, I knew that I wanted to be in CSS so badly. The students that I talked to were all so intelligent and had their lives figured out. It was so motivating to be around students with the same career goals as me. It was also very inspiring to be a part of a program that values diversity and inclusion and works hard to give minority students the opportunities and guidance that they normally wouldn’t receive.
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE CSS EXPERIENCE SO FAR?
My favorite CSS experience so far has been the welcome ceremonies by far. Every year it is so nice to see all of my friends and catch up with the other cohorts after a long summer of being away from each other. It is also great to see the new incoming cohort and watch the CSS family grow bigger and bigger.
HOW HAS CSS SHAPED YOUR CAREER GOALS?
Being in CSS has definitely motivated me to be the best student, mentor, and friend. Being surrounded by people who have their lives planned and work hard to achieve their goals definitely makes it easier to believe in yourself and what you have yet to achieve. I feel like when times get tough (or even when they’re great), I can always go to my program coordinator and talk, which also makes it that much easier to work harder and be better.
WHAT IS YOUR PRIMARY RESEARCH INTEREST?
My primary area of research is in neurodevelopment and behavior of children. I have the privilege to be an Undergraduate Research Assistant in the Biomedical Research Imaging Center (BRIC) here at UNC. I am a research assistant with the Baby Connectome Project (BCP), but the BRIC serves as a building with new research projects constantly being conducted. The BCP is a joint program between UNC and UMN. It is a clinical lab that uses MRI technology (T1 and T2 images, rfMRI, dMRI) to look at how the brain and behavior develops in infants from birth to the age of 5. Ultimately, the goal is to analyze the data from the MRIs and chart structural and functional patterns while also mapping brain-behavior associations.