Graduate Students
Soohyun Cho
Co-Graduate Lab Lead
Soohyun Cho is a Ph.D. candidate in English at Michigan State University, specializing in crime fiction, scientific approaches to literature, disability studies, and digital humanities. Her current project focuses on the intersection of disability studies and popular culture studies, exploring the tradition of detectives with non-normative minds.
Sinclair Portis
Graduate Assistant
Undergraduate Students
Jacob Okulewicz
The Role of Narrative Listening in Music Perception Co-Lead, Creativity in the Time of COVID-19 Co-Lead, Poetry and Aesthetic Pleasure
Jacob (he/him) is a senior from Buffalo, NY majoring in physiology in the College of Natural Science and minoring in bioethics. At the DHLC he works on the Music and Narrative team as an undergraduate co-lead and on the Poetry team as well. Outside of the DHLC, he is also part of the Creativity in the Time of COVID-19 project as a co-lead for the research and outreach team. He also spends time volunteering and acting as a volunteer coordinator at Sparrow Hospital and volunteering at MSU’s Adaptive Sports and Recreation club.
Sydney Logsdon
The Role of Narrative Listenting in Music Perception, Creativity in the Time of COVID-19, Poetry and Aesthetic Pleasure
Sydney Logsdon (she/her) is a junior completing a double degree in English (creative writing) and environmental studies and sustainability with a minor in global studies in the arts and humanities. She began working with the lab as a professorial assistant during her freshman year, and she was co-lead for the lab’s poetry project as a sophomore. Going forward, she will be the undergraduate lead for the DHLC. Outside of classes and the lab, Sydney is an undergraduate research ambassador, president of Sigma Tau Delta, and vice president of Creative Writing Club. In her free time, she enjoys reading, listening to music, watching British panel shows, and drinking sparkling water.
Marine Avequin
The Role of Narrative Listening in Music Perception Co-Lead, Creativity in the Time of COVID-19
Marine Avequin (she/her) is in her 4th undergraduate year at Michigan State University studying chemistry while following the pre-vet route. She is currently applying to vet school and works at an animal emergency vet hospital. When at school, she joins the pre-vet and chemistry club meetings. In her free time, she likes to read, hang out with friends, play the viola, listen to music, and travel the world. She is part of the DHLC lab where she is a co-lead on the Music and Narrative research project. She is also part of the Creativity in the Time of COVID-19 project where she translates art submissions that are in different languages into English.
Neha Navathe
The Role of Narrative Listening in Music Perception, Creativity in the Time of COVID-19 Co-Lead
Neha (she/her) is a senior majoring in human biology in the Lyman Briggs College and has been working at the lab for over a year as a Research and Outreach Assistant. She is an undergraduate co-lead for the Creativity in the Time of COVID-19 project and is part of the Music and Narrative project at the DHLC. Outside of the lab, Neha is Event Coordinator for the student-run organization Reach Outside as well as Public Relations Lead for MSU’s chapter of We Are SAATH.
Quynh Tong
The Role of Narrative Listening in Music Perception, Creativity in the Time of COVID-19, Poetry and Aesthetic Pleasure Co-Lead
Quynh (she/her) is a junior majoring in Biochemistry and History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Science in Lyman Briggs. She is an undergraduate co-lead for the Neuroaesthetics project in the lab, and is also involved in other projects in the lab as well. Outside of the lab, she is involved in mentoring and occasionally contributes to The State News.
Gracie Rudolfi
The Role of Narrative Listening in Music Perception, Creativity in the Time of COVID-19, Poetry and Aesthetic Pleasure Co-Lead
Gracie (she/her) is a junior majoring in both English and Film Studies in the College of Arts and Letters and minoring in History. She began working in the lab as a professorial assistant in August of 2022. Now, Gracie works on the Role of Narrative Listening in Music Perception and the Creativity in the Time of COVID-19 projects, and she is a co-lead of the Poetry and Aesthetic Pleasure project. Outside of the lab, Gracie is the Head of Fundraising for Mission Menstruation x MSU, historian of Sigma Tau Delta, and a member of the MSU Honors College organization H-STAR. Outside of academia, Gracie enjoys volunteering at the Women’s Center of Greater Lansing, reading novels and poetry, hanging out with friends, and thrifting.
Carina Abbasov
The Role of Narrative Listening in Music Perception, Creativity in the Time of COVID-19, Poetry and Aesthetic Pleasure
Carina is a junior majoring in neuroscience with a concentration in cognitive and computational neuroscience as well as a minor in graphic design. At the DHLC lab, she is a research assistant contributing to the The Role of Narrative Listening in Music Perception, Creativity in the Time of COVID-19, and Poetry and Aesthetic Pleasure projects. Outside of the lab, Carina is also a videographer for TEDxMSU and a research assistant for the Living Archive Project at the James Madison College.
Natalie Liliensiek
The Role of Narrative Listening in Music Perception, Creativity in the Time of COVID-19, Poetry and Aesthetic Pleasure
Natalie (she/her) is a sophomore majoring in English with minors in Arabic and Writing. It is her first year working at the DHLC, and she works on all three of the active projects and helps with social media outreach for the lab. Outside of the lab and her classes, Natalie is a dog-enthusiast who enjoys reading, writing, and playing guitar. She is a part of the English Honor Society and is always excited to talk about books!
Natalie Seitz
The Role of Narrative Listening in Music Perception, Creativity in the Time of COVID-19, Poetry and Aesthetic Pleasure
Lorraine Inman
The Role of Narrative Listening in Music Perception, Creativity in the Time of COVID-19, Poetry and Aesthetic Pleasure