For one undergraduate student, major life decisions serendipitously happen around the dinner table. Kieran Andrew, a student at Arizona State University’s Barrett, The Honors College double majoring in psychology and neuroscience, began his research journey as a high school junior who happened to be sitting with his future mentor, President’s Professor Heather Bimonte-Nelson at a graduation dinner gathering with mutual family friends.
Kieran Andrew, a Barrett, The Honors College student double majoring in psychology and neuroscience. Photo by Robert Ewing Download Full Image He began to talk with her about the research in her lab, Behavioral Neuroscience of Memory & Aging lab, and was offered a chance to participate as a volunteer researcher as a senior in high school. Four years later, while Andrew was once again seated at Bimonte-Nelson’s dinner table during a laboratory gathering, he completed an application for a travel scholarship right before the deadline. His mentor and peers from the lab pushed him to finish and offered support while celebrating.
He recently was announced as the recipient of one of the travel awards for the Emerging Researchers National (ERN) Conference in Washington, D.C. The ERN Conference in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics is hosted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Inclusive STEM Ecosystems for Equity & Diversity Programs and the National Science Foundation Division of Human Resource Development within the Directorate for Education and Human Resources.
At this conference, Andrew will present research that he has been working on since high school in the Bimonte-Nelson lab on sex differences in Alzheimer's disease in a transgenic animal model.
“Being hands-on with the projects in the lab has been incredibly helpful, as well as the large breadth of experience I've been able to get from not just people in my life, but the people I've been able to meet through lab connections,” Andrew said.
The Bimonte-Nelson lab aims to characterize the cognitive and brain changes that occur during aging, as well as develop behavioral and pharmacological strategies to attenuate mnemonic and neurobiological age-related alterations. Andrew assists with conducting the memory tests in the lab, as well as performs complex data processing, scoring and analyses.
“I first met Kieran when he was a high school student, in a casual environment — even in this atmosphere, just from chatting with him informally about what our lab does, he showed an innate curiosity and asked insightful questions,” Bimonte-Nelson said. “Over the years working with him on a weekly basis, it has become clear to me that he has a deeply critical and intellectual mind — he is a born scientist. He has had valued contributions in the lab spanning performing experimental physiological procedures to cognitive testing, and he has also done an excellent job teaching other lab students, mentoring with both knowledge and patience. He especially excels at deciphering and analyzing complex data patterns.”
“I cannot wait to see what the future holds for Kieran. He has worked so hard. This is just the beginning of a wonderful journey for him,” Bimonte-Nelson said. “Whichever of his dreams he pursues — becoming a neurosurgeon or continuing his research in a doctoral program — he will excel and make the world a better place.”
Bimonte-Nelson also hosts brain fairs for the community and aims to expand access to neuroscience for all levels of learners.
“For me, it has been super helpful to have a mentor like Heather. I don’t think I would be able to receive awards without her — I'm generally the guy who's just quiet and gets the work done and then just waits until the next thing is ready to pop up. But with Heather, she’s a very proactive mentor and she definitely wants the best for her students, and that is more than I could ask for,” said Andrew.
Through a project with Bimonte-Nelson, he is also part of ASU’s NSF-funded Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation – Western Alliance to Expand Student Opportunities program, which aims to support undergraduate researchers that have been historically underrepresented in STEM. Andrew recently presented research at the Arizona Alzheimer’s Consortium as well, where he was an author on three posters, including one in collaboration with the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute.
“I was able to create a regression tree from the MRI data to see how well people performed in our tasks and what brain areas were associated with performance. This project analyzed the executive function of the brain. While it was an introductory study, I presented data on possible ways we can analyze this type of research,” Andrew said.
In addition to his presentations at AAC and in Washington, D.C., for ERN, Andrew is conducting an honors thesis.
“I’m leaning toward experimentally testing learning and memory interference as we age,” Andrew said. “A related study was done in our lab before I was in it, but there are many questions left. I am interested in revisiting that topic.”
In the future, he is deciding between pursuing an MD in neurosurgery or a PhD in computational neuroscience.
Video of Kieran Andrew
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Founded during the height of the civil rights movement, Dance Theatre of Harlem has not only transformed the world of dance, but redefined what it means to be a ballet dancer. Dance Theatre of Harlem is a revolutionary and renowned dance institute with an 18-member company of racially diverse artists who travel across the globe performing a repertoire of classic and neoclassic ballet, as well a...
Founded during the height of the civil rights movement, Dance Theatre of Harlem has not only transformed the world of dance, but redefined what it means to be a ballet dancer.
Dance Theatre of Harlem is a revolutionary and renowned dance institute with an 18-member company of racially diverse artists who travel across the globe performing a repertoire of classic and neoclassic ballet, as well as contemporary works.
Dance Theatre of Harlem Company. Photo courtesy Rachel Neville Download Full Image They'll perform at ASU Gammage on Nov. 18. Tickets are on sale now at asugammage.com/dancetheatreofharlem.
The company was created by Arthur Mitchell, a man born and raised in Harlem, who made history when he became the first black principal dancer for the New York City Ballet in 1955.
With a mission of empowerment through the arts, Mitchell wanted to create a safe haven for dancers of color and a place of empowerment for the youth of Harlem, providing them the opportunity and resources to excel in the world of ballet.
“Mitchell wanted to empower the young people of Harlem who had been written off by society. He believed that by studying a classical art form such as ballet, Harlem youth would gain important life skills such as self-discipline, focus and perseverance,” said Virginia Johnson, Dance Theatre of Harlem’s artist director. “So Mitchell founded Dance Theatre of Harlem as a school, and very shortly after created the dance company, which provided role models for the school’s students. Dance Theatre of Harlem and its company has allowed and encouraged dancers to reach their full potential.”
Johnson herself has been a part of Dance Theatre of Harlem since the beginning when she became both a founding member and principal dancer for the company. Johnson is considered one of the greatest ballerinas of her generation, having received numerous accolades from lifetime achievement awards to an honorary doctorate from Julliard. She also is the founder of Pointe, an international magazine targeted toward ballet dancers and students.
“Mitchell wanted to empower the young people of Harlem who had been written off by society. He believed that by studying a classical art form such as ballet, Harlem youth would gain important life skills such as self-discipline, focus and perseverance,” said Virginia Johnson, Dance Theatre of Harlem’s artist director. “So Mitchell founded Dance Theatre of Harlem as a school, and very shortly after created the dance company, which provided role models for the school’s students. Dance Theatre of Harlem and its company has allowed and encouraged dancers to reach their full potential.”
Johnson herself has been a part of Dance Theatre of Harlem since the beginning when she became both a founding member and principal dancer for the company. Johnson is considered one of the greatest ballerinas of her generation, having received numerous accolades from lifetime achievement awards to an honorary doctorate from Julliard. She also is the founder of Pointe, an international magazine targeted toward ballet dancers and students.
Virginia Johnson. Photo by Theik Smith
“I was exposed to ballet at the age of three and immediately fell in love. I fell in love with the order, and I fell in love with the possibility of making myself something more than I was by studying something that was so incredibly difficult. I loved the challenge,” Johnson said. “I studied ballet for a long time as a young person, and when I graduated, the director of my school pulled me into her office and basically told me that I was talented and trained hard, but no one was ever going to hire me as a ballet dancer because of the color of my skin. But when I got to New York, Arthur Mitchell gave me a chance.”
For the past 53 years, Dance Theatre of Harlem has helped dancers achieve their dreams and continues to leave a lasting impact on the world of American ballet.
“When Mitchell became the first black principal dancer for the New York City Ballet, he was viewed as an exception. But Mitchell wanted to show that when given the opportunity, anyone could excel in the art form of ballet. And that is exactly what Dance Theatre of Harlem has done for the past 53 years,” Johnson said.
Not only has Dance Theatre of Harlem changed the lives and careers of dancers of color across the country, but it has also transformed people’s preconceived ideas of what a ballerina should be and look like.
“The most rewarding experience of being a part of Dance Theatre of Harlem is changing people’s minds. When I was a performer with a company, we would go to a new city and people thought they were coming to see the Harlem Globetrotters because they couldn't imagine black people doing ballet. But by the end of the show, everyone was standing on their feet and cheering,” Johnson said.
When Dance Theatre of Harlem performs on the ASU Gammage stage this November, the audience should expect to find themselves on the edge of their seats.
“We will of course perform classical and neoclassical ballet, but we will also perform contemporary works. Works that are reflective of American culture at large,” Johnson said. “America is a country made up of many different cultures, and Dance Theatre of Harlem wants to celebrate these cultures and bring them together. This show will really represent what America is.”
Johnson also hopes that dancers of color who come to see the show are inspired to continue working towards and achieving their goals. When asked to give any words of advice to these dancers, Johnson said: "Keep the focus and know that you have the power to change the world.”
Today, Dance Theatre of Harlem continues to train young people in classical ballet through its world-class school and provide the community with arts education, outreach programs and positive role models for all.
“Ballet belongs to everyone, and ballet can speak to everyone,” Johnson said.
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