Screening: The Performance Artist

To what extent do animals determine their own actions independently of hard-wired instinct? Isabella Rossellini and Diana Reiss compare notes about their observations how other animals exercise mind over matter by discussing animal communication, self-awareness, creative play, choice-making and altruistic behavior. This is a filmed conversation from last years’ Brainwave series.

About the Speaker

Charlotte Wincott holds a B.S. degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. She graduated magna cum laude with her degree in psychology and a minor in chemistry in 2009. She recently completed her Ph.D. work at New York University School of Medicine in neuroscience, publishing papers on the role of glutamate receptors in learning and memory. While at VCU, Charlotte served as President and Event Coordinator of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). She has been an instructor of chemistry, biology, neuroscience, and psychology, also tutoring students at correctional facilities. During Charlotte’s undergraduate training, she studied Behavioral Science at Harvard University and was also selected to receive a research grant from Boston University to conduct studies at BU’s Center for Memory and Brain. During her graduate training, she was chosen for a National Institutes of Health training grant appointment and also received Honorable Mention for a National Science Foundation proposal. While at NYU, Charlotte presented her research internationally at the FENS Forum of Neuroscience in Barcelona, Spain and was selected by the Brazilian government to visit Sao Paulo for an intensive course in behavior and neural systems. During Charlotte’s last year of graduate school, she was appointed to a National Institutes of Mental Health training grant for her academic achievements and was funded under that grant for travel, stipend, and research support. Charlotte is currently studying addiction as a postdoctoral fellow at The Rockefeller University.