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Hello Everyone,

My name is Anne and I am a freshman at Bryn Mawr. I am planning on majoring in Biology with a concentration in Neural and Behavioral Sciences and a minor in French.  Biology in high school never covered topics in neurobiology and I am excited to learn as much as I can about the biological foundations of human behavior.

Growing up I am sure that everyone was told by their parents on more than one occasion to "behave themselves." I am interested in finding out what that meant for me then and what it means now that I don't habitually fight with my brothers in public or speak out of turn. How do we go about "behaving ourselves"? Are we finished forming certain aspects of our behavior our can our brains respond and adapt further? I also am fascinated by the idea of nature versus nurture as it relates to human behavior, whether aspects of behavior are innate and others specifically informed by surrounding environment.

I am also interested in the connection between natural ability and behavior. If one person is particularly gifted athletically or in one academic field does that natural ability affect corresponding behavior? For example, if I struggle with mathematics does that also naturally affect my character, preferences or social behavior that may not appear to be outwardly related? I am looking forward to our discussions  and learning together!