Knowing our researchers!
Get to know our team members while we ask them about their journey, research topic and motivation!
This week's researcher : Shaylyn Kress!
Where did you complete your degrees and what was your major?
I completed my BSc Honours, MA, and PhD degrees at the University of Saskatchewan. All my degrees were in Psychology (Cognition and Neuroscience Stream), and all were under the supervision of Dr. Ron Borowsky. I also minored in Computer Science during my undergraduate program.
Were you involved in any research experience during your undergraduate degree? If so, what kind of research were you a part of?
Yes! I was initially a volunteer research assistant and this transitioned into two paid summer research assistant positions. I helped run cognitive studies for the graduate students and helped pilot neuroimaging studies. Later, I had the chance to begin developing independent research projects, which became the first studies in my Honours and MA work. My BSc Honours had a research component in the Honours Thesis Project, in which I studied how different parts of the reading system (spelling, pronunciation, and meaning) contribute to successful word identification.
Why did you choose the University of Lethbridge and Dr. Ekstrand’s Lab?
I knew Dr. Ekstrand from past research collaborations. She and my current co-supervisor, Dr. Jody Culham, had collected a dataset of participants playing video games in fMRI and were interested in hiring a postdoctoral fellow to analyse the data. I was just finishing my PhD, so the timing worked out perfectly for me to start this co-supervised project with Drs. Ekstrand and Culham after I completed my PhD program.
What did your research focus on during your MA and PhD degrees? Why did you choose this topic?
Broadly, I studied the relationship between reading and attention, using cognitive behavioural studies and neuroimaging datasets. Early in my Honours year, I read some studies about how video game play might help improve reading in children with dyslexia. I found this research fascinating, and was very curious about why only certain video games were helpful, so this question became the focus of my graduate studies.
In my MA, I studied which features of participants’ video game experience were most relevant to reading and attentional processing. Most previous studies compared action video games to non-action video games, so we hope our study of game features might inspire other researchers to look at other game features instead of using broad genre categories.
My PhD built off of my MA work, and we designed a series of studies to test whether we could promote reading improvements with a single-session attentional exercise task that included some video game elements. With enough research and refinement, this paradigm could be used in the future as an activity to improve reading skills in individuals with reading difficulties. I also worked with pre-existing neuroimaging data to study the connectivity of the reading and attention networks. In particular, I was interested in how regions associated with eye-movements interface with other regions that are thought to be involved in visual attention and reading.
What does your postdoctoral research focus on? Why did you choose this topic?
My postdoctoral research is a natural extension of my past research interests on the cognitive and neural processes involved in video games. In my graduate work, I studied how video games can impact cognitive processes (namely, reading and attention), so I am looking forward to studying the experience of video game play directly.
Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
Over the next 5 years, I see myself having a productive postdoctoral experience with Drs. Ekstrand and Culham, and starting a permanent position somewhere!
What are your long term career aspirations?
I am enjoying my postdoctoral research work right now, and I have had good past experiences with teaching too. I would love to continue doing research and teaching, and become a university professor someday.
What do you think are some of the most important qualities in a researcher?
One important quality in a researcher is that they never grew out of the “Why?” phase of their childhood! Part of the scientific process is constantly asking questions about the world around you. Time management is an important skill to develop (to keep track of those projects that may or may not have deadlines), as is the ability to gracefully accept criticism and rejection (journal articles can go through many rounds of review and rejection). Researchers also need to be independently driven, but good collaborators and teammates.
Are there any challenges or obstacles you've faced in your research journey, and how have you overcome them?
Challenges and obstacles are an inevitability in the research journey, and what I found most important was using them as opportunities for growth. My cancelled studies became chances to use new tools or work with open datasets for the first time. Some of my favourite studies only exist today because of how my research plan evolved. I must also give massive credit to my supervisors and mentors. They have been very supportive throughout the years, and their support helped me handle potential challenges in a positive way!
I completed my BSc Honours, MA, and PhD degrees at the University of Saskatchewan. All my degrees were in Psychology (Cognition and Neuroscience Stream), and all were under the supervision of Dr. Ron Borowsky. I also minored in Computer Science during my undergraduate program.
Were you involved in any research experience during your undergraduate degree? If so, what kind of research were you a part of?
Yes! I was initially a volunteer research assistant and this transitioned into two paid summer research assistant positions. I helped run cognitive studies for the graduate students and helped pilot neuroimaging studies. Later, I had the chance to begin developing independent research projects, which became the first studies in my Honours and MA work. My BSc Honours had a research component in the Honours Thesis Project, in which I studied how different parts of the reading system (spelling, pronunciation, and meaning) contribute to successful word identification.
Why did you choose the University of Lethbridge and Dr. Ekstrand’s Lab?
I knew Dr. Ekstrand from past research collaborations. She and my current co-supervisor, Dr. Jody Culham, had collected a dataset of participants playing video games in fMRI and were interested in hiring a postdoctoral fellow to analyse the data. I was just finishing my PhD, so the timing worked out perfectly for me to start this co-supervised project with Drs. Ekstrand and Culham after I completed my PhD program.
What did your research focus on during your MA and PhD degrees? Why did you choose this topic?
Broadly, I studied the relationship between reading and attention, using cognitive behavioural studies and neuroimaging datasets. Early in my Honours year, I read some studies about how video game play might help improve reading in children with dyslexia. I found this research fascinating, and was very curious about why only certain video games were helpful, so this question became the focus of my graduate studies.
In my MA, I studied which features of participants’ video game experience were most relevant to reading and attentional processing. Most previous studies compared action video games to non-action video games, so we hope our study of game features might inspire other researchers to look at other game features instead of using broad genre categories.
My PhD built off of my MA work, and we designed a series of studies to test whether we could promote reading improvements with a single-session attentional exercise task that included some video game elements. With enough research and refinement, this paradigm could be used in the future as an activity to improve reading skills in individuals with reading difficulties. I also worked with pre-existing neuroimaging data to study the connectivity of the reading and attention networks. In particular, I was interested in how regions associated with eye-movements interface with other regions that are thought to be involved in visual attention and reading.
What does your postdoctoral research focus on? Why did you choose this topic?
My postdoctoral research is a natural extension of my past research interests on the cognitive and neural processes involved in video games. In my graduate work, I studied how video games can impact cognitive processes (namely, reading and attention), so I am looking forward to studying the experience of video game play directly.
Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
Over the next 5 years, I see myself having a productive postdoctoral experience with Drs. Ekstrand and Culham, and starting a permanent position somewhere!
What are your long term career aspirations?
I am enjoying my postdoctoral research work right now, and I have had good past experiences with teaching too. I would love to continue doing research and teaching, and become a university professor someday.
What do you think are some of the most important qualities in a researcher?
One important quality in a researcher is that they never grew out of the “Why?” phase of their childhood! Part of the scientific process is constantly asking questions about the world around you. Time management is an important skill to develop (to keep track of those projects that may or may not have deadlines), as is the ability to gracefully accept criticism and rejection (journal articles can go through many rounds of review and rejection). Researchers also need to be independently driven, but good collaborators and teammates.
Are there any challenges or obstacles you've faced in your research journey, and how have you overcome them?
Challenges and obstacles are an inevitability in the research journey, and what I found most important was using them as opportunities for growth. My cancelled studies became chances to use new tools or work with open datasets for the first time. Some of my favourite studies only exist today because of how my research plan evolved. I must also give massive credit to my supervisors and mentors. They have been very supportive throughout the years, and their support helped me handle potential challenges in a positive way!
This week's researcher : Keva Klamer!
Where did you complete your undergraduate degree/masters degree and what was your major?
I completed both my Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees at the University of Lethbridge. My major for both was neuroscience.
Were you involved in any research experience during your undergraduate degree? If so, what kind of research were you a part of?
Yes! I was lucky enough to take part in several research studies during my undergraduate degree. For a few years I was involved in the Gibb lab at the University of Lethbridge. Throughout my time in the Gibb lab I investigated the ability of cannabis to improve recovery following stroke and quantified neuroanatomical changes to the rodent brain following exposure to cannabis. Additionally, I investigated the effect of cannabidiol (CBD) on brain development of adolescent rodents. Lastly in the Gibb lab, I was involved in Building Brains Together (BBT) for several years, which is an organization focused on helping to empower parents and caregivers by building on adult capabilities to develop the executive functions of their child’s brain. I also was involved in the Iwaniuk lab at the University of Lethbridge, where I investigated comparative neuroanatomy of birds, including the neuroanatomical effects of domestication on the cerebellum and differences in olfactory bulb anatomy across pigeon breeds. Lastly, I briefly volunteered in the McDonald lab at the University of Lethbridge, where I investigated how plasticity cascades and place cell activity differ in new spatial learning based on context familiarity.
Why did you choose the University of Lethbridge?
I chose the University of Lethbridge for my M.Sc and PhD because of Dr. Ekstrand. After my experience working primarily with rats and birds, I was hoping to work with humans and learn about brain imaging techniques. At the time that I was finishing my B.Sc, Dr. Ekstrand had just started her human neuroimaging focused lab at University of Lethbridge, and I had the wonderful opportunity to be one of her first M.Sc students.
What does/did your research focus on during your Masters degree? Why did you choose this topic?
My research during my M.Sc used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate how differing levels of psychological well-being (PWB) influence synchronous neural activity in response to audiovisual films. This was not my initial thesis topic when I started my M.Sc, but it became my thesis topic approximately 1 year into my M.Sc due to issues we were facing with collecting fMRI data. Although it wasn’t what I had first planned, I dove deep into researching it once it became a possibility, and I quickly became passionate about it. PWB encompasses both happiness, sense of meaning/purpose in life and life satisfaction, and I realized that achieving good PWB is a common goal for most people, no matter how they try to attain it- whether through financial success, physical fitness, meaningful relationships, or career achievements. What fascinated me even more was the idea that PWB, and by extension overall happiness, can be enhanced without any external changes to one’s material circumstances or relationships. This insight sparked a deeper interest in how we can nurture well-being from within, independent of external factors, and ultimately changed how I approach daily life. To this day, I actively take steps (that I learned from my M.Sc degree) to increase my own PWB and feel extremely grateful that my thesis topic was able to impact my personal life in a positive way.
What does/did your research focus on during your PhD degree? Why did you choose this topic?
My research for my PhD focuses primarily on investigating how migraine impacts emotional processing using both fMRI and EEG. I find migraine particularly fascinating- not just as a headache, but as a condition that alters the overall functioning of the brain, spanning from vision, to attention, to emotions, even in between attacks. I’m especially intrigued by migraine with aura, which can involve visual hallucinations. Despite substantial research investigating migraines, it is still largely unknown what causes migraines and how they impact the brain- and I do love a good mystery! Given how debilitating and widespread migraines are, affecting around 12% of the population, I am hopeful that my work will contribute to better understanding of migraine, and ultimately, improve treatments for this condition.
Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
In the next 5 years, I hope to finish my PhD and begin a postdoctoral program. While I’m still exploring potential directions for my future postdoctoral research, I hope to find a focus that is just as engaging and exciting as my current work!
What are your long term career aspirations?
My long-term goal is to become a Doctor of Neuroscience and a Professor of Neuroscience. I aspire to work at a university where I can establish a research lab focused on improving the full spectrum of human health- from investigating neural correlates of psychological well-being to disorders like migraine, chronic pain, and depression, to the biological metabolites that influence disease severity and the gene expression that impacts these processes. I envision creating a multimodal, collaborative lab that integrates various techniques such as EEG, fMRI, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), gene profiling, and any other methods applicable to human research. Ultimately, I hope my work will contribute to improving both mental and physical health outcomes for the general population.
What do you think are some of the most important qualities in a researcher?
There are many important qualities for a researcher, each playing a key role in different areas. Overall, motivation, drive, and passion are essential. These traits are what fuel research in the first place, as well as sustaining the joy and curiosity that makes this kind of work fulfilling. When it comes to productivity, time management and the ability to switch between tasks are crucial. As researchers, it often feels like we’re juggling a million different tasks, so it’s vital to learn how to structure our days to handle various responsibilities within a reasonable timeframe. In terms of collaboration, I believe that communication, accountability, and compassion are key. The best science emerges from teamwork, and the best teamwork happens when expectations are clearly communicated. Holding ourselves and members of our research team accountable for our responsibilities, while sometimes difficult, is crucial as it ensures progress and growth as a researcher. However, compassion is equally important; people will make mistakes, get overwhelmed, need help, and that’s okay! Ultimately, I believe that being a good researcher isn’t about one single quality but a blend of many. These qualities, when balanced, create a foundation for success in research and collaboration.
Are there any challenges or obstacles you've faced in your research journey, and how have you overcome them?
Yes! We were the first research team to ever conduct an fMRI study at the University of Lethbridge, which brought us a set of challenges. We experienced issues with functionality of the fMRI machine itself, which ended up delaying our planned research for over a year. Because of this, the M.Sc students at the time all had to change our planned theses with only a year left to go. While disappointing and stressful, I overcame this challenge by shifting my mindset and allowing myself to get excited about the new thesis opportunity that was presenting itself. During my M.Sc degree, Dr. Ekstrand went on maternity leave for a year. While she still went out of her way to be as involved in our projects as possible, there was a stretch of quite a few months where I was trying to learn skills, such as writing and experimental setup, independently. While I still ended up needing support in many aspects of my research, I now am much more comfortable working independently and trying to learn different skills on my own. Lastly, I was in the first cohort of M.Sc students in the Ekstrand lab, which also brought its own set of challenges. For example, there was a mixup with deadlines near the end of my M.Sc degree, which resulted in me having to write essentially my entire thesis within a week. Because no one had done the process of defending a M.Sc thesis before, we were the first to learn about these important deadlines. There are always issues that will arise in research, and throughout my M.Sc degree I kind of had a speed run through a wide range of issues, which at the time was very difficult, but helped prepare me quickly for the inevitability of having to overcome obstacles.
