ISSUE 5
EDITOR’S NOTE
—
As the excitement of editing concludes and the fifth issue of Grey Matters at Vassar College goes to print, I find myself reflecting on the team’s continued effort and enthusiastic dedication. To my team: my deepest thanks go to the editors, authors, and artists who have been with us for years, and to our fresh-eyed newcomers for accompanying me on this wonderful journey. To our readers: I hope this issue will make you laugh, reflect, and, most of all, learn.
As I step into my new role as editor-in-chief of Grey Matters, being a part of this remarkable publication has taken on a new meaning altogether. Not only do I value the ability to collaborate with and mentor undergraduates in their scientific writing, but the opportunity to learn from my team myself is something I will treasure for a long time. Every day, I discover something new, be it the puzzling dilemma of a phantom pregnancy, or the incredibly complex world surrounding our neurons — all delivered in simple, digestible prose.
This issue of Grey Matters offers new perspectives on well-known aspects of brain science, as well as introductions to topics that will become the future of key research in the field. Discover the extraordinary healing effect that music can have on our brains in “Running Up That Hill: The Stranger Things About Listening to Music,” examine a new, exciting treatment modality for addiction, depression, and anxiety in “A Trip to the Therapeutic World of Psychedelic Mushrooms,” or dip your toes into the physiological underpinnings of those who stutter in “When Words Get Stuck: The Complex Causes Behind Stuttering.” We hope these pieces will serve as both an introduction and an exploration into the world of science for readers from a vast array of academic backgrounds.
We wholeheartedly invite you to join us in this semester’s exploration of the human brain.
See you all again soon,
Lucas Angles
Editor in Chief
PRODUCTION STAFF
Lucas Angles, Editor in Chief
Lucy Volino, Senior Managing Editor
Anshuman Das, Production Manager
Julián Aguilar, Layout Executive & Graphic Designer
Shawn Babitsky, Outreach Coordinator
Brandon Lam, Social Media Manager Max Freedman, Website Executive & Graphic Designer
Talia Mayerson, Graduate Student Executive Daniella Lorman,Graduate Student Executive
Clem Doucette, Graduate Student Executive
AUTHORS
Gage Haden
Riley Lipman
Rory Thompson
Sufana Noorwez
Shawn Babitsky Kalina Rashkov
Sudiksha Miglani
Cherrie Chang
Jadon-Sean Sobejana
Maia Beaudry
Dimple Kangriwala Talia Roman
ARTISTS
Yuchen Wang, Cherrie Chang, Art Executives
Mingjia Ni
Iris Li
Anna Bishop
Ella Larson
Stuart Heintz
Ayane Garrison
Anna-Kate Pittman
Abigail Schoenecker
Iona Duncan
Elsie McKendry Nikita Sidoryk
Hanqi Wu
GENERAL EDITING
Olivia Gotsch, Nanako Kurosu, Senior Editors
Freddie von Siemens Isabella Sagman Nehal Ajmal Anna Terry Jaya Moorjani Jaclyn Narleski Claire Karlin Lilah Lichtman Alex Kaye Jolie Walker Zayn Cheema Madeline Galian Susie Osborne Anna Conway Juliana Ishimine Martine Schwan Nico Silverman-Lloyd
SCIENTIFIC REVIEW
Amber Huang, Ainsley Smith, Senior Editors
Hailey Brigger Anshuman Das Jess Camacho Alex Kaye Ninamma Rai Avery Bauman Dhriti Seth Jordan Klembczyk Anshuman Das Monika Sweeney Hannah Koolpe Jade Hsin Rileigh Chinn Evelynn Bagade Victoria Tager-Geffner Eamon BenSlama-McKinley Jas Kaur
LAY REVIEW
Anjali Krishna, Julia Vitale, Senior Editors
Alexis Earp
Alyssa Gu
Caitlin Shi
Caris Lee
Evan Banning
Eve Andersen
Frank Ryan
Hadley Boyle
Lilah Lichtman