SCANN Lab

Lachyn Almazova

CV

This semester in the SCANN lab, I will be focusing on the understanding of analog representations of spatial directions in visual scenes in behavior and the brain. Specifically, I will be working on conceptual framing of the project, as well as further developing my programming experience with Python. I am excited to learn more about spatial navigation and
gain laboratory experience as a Research Assistant!

Fun fact: I absolutely love learning new languages. So far, I am fluent in Turkmen, Russian, English, and Spanish, and I am working on expanding that list!

Jesse Edwards

CV

I will be a research assistant at the SCANN Lab. My responsibilities will be to interact with the participants in order to aid with the screening, informing, and survey process. There are other opportunities as well, but my primary responsibilities are to help with the objective of the project I am assigned to, and to assist in the acquisition of accurate and genuine data.

Fun fact: I love sports! I trained in boxing and played football!

Merrill Garlington

CV

I am working with Ece in the Virtual Reality lab, running participants, and studying spatial navigation. I’m so excited to work with in the SCANN lab.

Fun fact: I want to live in New York and audition for Saturday Night Live!

Hailey Love

CV

I am working with Ece this semester in the SCANN lab on her virtual reality project, which focuses on spatial navigation in immersive and desktop environments. I have been running participants and using this experience to further pursue my passions in psychology. I am excited to see what doors this experience opens up for me!

Fun fact: I am obsessed with Gilmore Girls and have rewatched the series about three times already.

Mia Markell

CV

I am working with Chengsi on his experiment by running participants and being involved in SCANN Lab in various ways. This is a wonderful personal growth experience; I will expand my knowledge in neuroscience and spatial navigation while experiencing first-hand the wonders of conducting research.

Fun fact: My passion is figure skating! I truly wish there was a rink in Gainesville, someone should open one, I’d be there every week (every day if I didn’t have responsibilities).

Sofiya Mikolutskaya

CV

In the SCANN Lab, I will be working with Chengsi to expand our understanding of spatial navigation. I will be running the behavioral studies and coding data we collect. I am super excited to join the SCANN Lab team!

Fun fact: I’ve been a synchronized swimmer for 14 years now!

Milena Petrovic

CV

I am a research assistant in the SCANN Lab working with Ashish Sahoo to evaluate variability in spatial navigation training. I will be working with deep learning models to help generate predictions about large behavioral datasets.

Fun fact: I have pet a baby cheetah and I love oil paintings.

Ty Roche

CV

In the SCANN Lab the project I will be working on explores the relation between special navigation and visual attention. I will be helping with testing and coming up with new experiments. My plans post university are to attend medical school and ultimately become a surgeon.
Fun fact: I love to surf!

Sarah Verdecia-Zabala

CV

In the SCANN Lab, I am working with Eliany on her explore/exploit study that attempts to determine the likelihood of risk taking vs. selecting the “safe” option in various aspects of one’s life. Throughout the semester, I will be contacting and running participants through the study. I’m thrilled at the opportunity to work in this lab, and I look forward to learning more about spatial navigation!

Fun fact: I adore iced chai lattes, so whether I’m in Gainesville, an airport, or abroad, I make sure to have one in as many different coffee shops as possible.

Kyle Wang

CV

This semester in the SCANN Lab, I will be mostly working with Ece on her spatial navigation VR studies. My role will primarily consist of conducting experiments, hand coding, analyzing data, assisting with organizational duties, and other tasks that may fall to me. I look forward to working with everyone in the lab!

Fun fact: I build mechanical keyboards in my free time and am a huge techie.