How do we bridge the gap between disciplines and across species? From the human brain to the animal world, our summer work explored the shared threads that connect perception, communication, and care across species. Each of our experiences, whether studying how the brain processes speech, observing whale behavior in the Gulf of Maine, or rehabilitating injured Massachusetts wildlife, revealed an aspect of how living beings interact with and make sense of their environments. Together, our summer experiences highlight the deep interconnection and cyclic nature between humans, animals, and the ecosystem that we share. This collective perspective bridges the diverse fields of neuroscience, environmental conservation, and wildlife veterinary medicine. Connection, in all of its forms, is central to understanding the broad reach of STEM throughout the natural world.

Moderator: Dylan Shepardson, Robert L. Rooke Associate Professor of Mathematics

Presenters:

• Lydia Huff '27 Biology/Gender Studies
• Julia Weiss '27 Psychology & Education/Geography/Five College Certificate in Coastal & Marine Sciences
• Natali Kostadinovic '26 Statistics