TITAN SPOTLIGHT
The Science of Success Looking back at a remarkable neuroscience cohort and the careers built on a Westminster education By VALENTINE BRKICH ’97
Around 20 years ago, deep down in the research labs of Hoyt Science Center, a tightly knit cohort of undergrads were working hard and laying the foundation for successful careers in psychology and neuroscience. Three of these students—Ericka Peterson ’03, Loretta Grate Bolyard ’00 and Brent Witgen ’00—went on to work in an Ivy League research laboratory and ultimately earned their doctorates.
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or Dr. Alan Gittis, professor of psychology emeritus and former leader of this notable cohort, the success of these three comes as no surprise.
“There was just something special about this group,” says Gittis, who taught at Westminster from 1976 to 2011 and was instrumental in developing the neuroscience curriculum. “They all shared a passion for learning, for discovering something of significance.” Westminster’s Neuroscience Program is an interdisciplinary major that emphasizes hands-on experience through intensive lab work and practical internships. Students also complete senior research projects, which gives them the opportunity to present at
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national scientific meetings and publish in professional journals. As laboratory director, Gittis made sure his students worked on projects that were meaningful. “I wanted to make sure they felt ownership of their work and that it would garner interest from the greater scientific community.” It was research in the Hoyt laboratory that, in fact, drew the attention of a pharmaceutical start-up, which opened the door to work in a graduate laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania—an opportunity that would serve as a springboard for their successful careers. Personally, for Gittis, the work of these three students also had a direct and positive impact on his own career.
“My success really had little to do with my professional training or professional colleagues,” says Gittis, who won the college’s Distinguished Faculty Award in 2009 and was awarded the Lifetime Achievement award in 2010 by the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience. “It had much more to do with the efforts of students who were as rewarding to work with as Loretta, Brent and Ericka.”
