Meet Brielle Pierre Philippe ’27, an OUR Peer Research Ambassador majoring in Psychological Sciences & Neuroscience of Health and Behavior.
What is the focus of your research/creative activity?
I study how female rats form social hierarchies, specifically looking at behaviors of dominance and submission. Using different behavioral tasks, I explore whether these roles remain consistent across different situations. My research also examines how learning is influenced by these social roles, and whether oxytocin, a hormone linked to bonding, affects how rats learn by observing others. Right now, I am also assisting our grad student with his work in researching rats’ temporal awareness—specifically, their ability to distinguish between long and short periods of time.
Why did you get involved in research/creative activity?
I got involved in research because I’ve always loved asking questions and trying to figure out how things work. Research felt like the perfect way to challenge myself while also giving my curiosity the freedom to run wild. I love being hands-on in the lab, trying new things, and building valuable skills while exploring big ideas. On top of that, I was excited by the chance to design and carry out my own project for my honors thesis capstone!
What advice would you give to aspiring student researchers?
It’s never too early or too late to start! I was once the only freshman in a lab full of seniors—at the time, I felt like I knew nothing and that my contributions couldn’t possibly be as valuable as theirs. But that was not the case at all! Your curiosity is just as important as anyone else’s, and it’s never too late to learn the skills you need to succeed in a lab setting. In fact, research is the best place to learn, and your mentor will want to guide you every step of the way.
Describe the impact your research experience/creative activity has had on you.
Research has had an extremely great impact on me. For a while, I only viewed it as a place to learn. I never thought that the things I was doing in the privacy of my lab would be seen as impactful outside of it. It wasn’t until I presented my research at the NEURON conference (the Northeast Under/graduate Research Organization for Neuroscience) that I realized the work I was doing could make a real contribution to my field. As I presented my poster and spoke with people about my project, so many showed genuine interest and were just as curious, if not more curious, about the questions I was investigating. They asked insightful questions, made observations, and even suggested exciting directions for future research. They commented on how interesting the patterns I found were, agreed with some of my speculations, and encouraged me to push my analysis even further. That was when I realized my project was more than just a school assignment for credit—it could actually contribute to the literature in my field. Other people can recognize the hard work I’ve done, build off it, and maybe even be inspired to pursue their own research using mine as a reference. That realization reignited the sense of purpose I felt when I first started research, and now I hope to one day publish the work I’ve done. Since that experience, I have presented my research at the American Psychological Association in Boston, and I am headed to present at Society for Neuroscience this semester in Washington D.C.! I can’t wait to see what other exciting places research can take me in the future.
What are your plans after graduation? How has involvement in research/creative activity influenced your plans and/or prepared you for the future?
After graduation, I plan to apply to medical school, where I intend to continue my research career parallel to my studies. At first glance, the research I’ve done may not seem directly related to medicine, but it has given me so many transferable skills that I know will help me succeed. My research has taught me patience, precision, and attention to detail—skills that are essential in a clinical setting. I’ve also gained strong problem-solving abilities, learned to adapt when things didn’t go as planned, and built confidence in analyzing data and communicating results clearly. These are skills I know medical school admissions committees will value as much as I do. Even though it will be in a different field, I feel confident pursing research in medicine going forward because I already understand the research process, and I know it will be rewarding to contribute new knowledge to another field that I’m passionate about.
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