We are the board! Besides aiming at to always be there for our students and help out where Cognito can, we also have some personal goals, such as providing students events that will help their academic and personal growth. We are also working on tightening our relationship with our sister student associations, our faculty and university, so that the union can be even more of service to you.
Here’s a message from each board member to you guys!
Sai: “Hey, I am Sai Siddharth incharge of the internal affairs of Cognito 2022-23. I am from India and I am part of the Cognitive neuroscience domain. I did psychology in my undergraduate so I’m interested in the topics of consciousness and dynamic systems. While I’m not nerding about neuroscience, I spend my time reading, cooking, playing video games. I like beaches more but mountains are also cool?. I love finding new kinds of music so if you have something that you’d like to share, please do it!”
Ishita: “Hey! My name is Ishita Aradhey and I am the external affairs officer for the Board of Cognito this year. I am currently enrolled in the Cognitive Neuroscience track of the Research Masters in Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the UvA. Prior to this degree, I completed my BSc Psychology at University College London (UCL) and worked as a consultant at Neurofied where I learned to bridge the gap between neuropsychology and business/society. Outside the classroom, I love a good game night, dance (especially street jazz and hip hop), and hotpot! Looking forward to meeting you :)”
Matheus: “Hi! Representing the New World, I’m Matheus Boger, your treasurer from Brazil. I hope my atypicality counters my roots and no money magically disappears from our coffers this year. I’m currently enrolled at the Cognitive Science track, with my original background lying in a multidisciplinary program at the University of Tsukuba, Japan, with a heavy focus on computer science (and the very unclear name of Media Arts, Science and Technology). As far as science goes, formal models soothe me by explaining away with very clear math some unpredictable and hard to grasp human behavior. Puzzling as the Homo sapiens is, I also believe the sheer diversity we have in our species is beautiful, and that everyone should be guaranteed the means to their flourishing. This led me to get politically involved in social movements (mainly in Brazil) besides studying. And I hope to learn a way to manage my time better so I can go back to playing historical strategy games ‘cause I miss them, but you are a priority, and so shall I set the games aside to do my best to give you nice events for your own flourishing :)”
Laura: “Hey! My name is Laura Vissers and I am the secretary of the Board of Cognito this year. For my Bachelor’s degree, I studied biomedical sciences at Amsterdam University College. During my Master’s degree, I will continue exploring my interests in the brain and looking at psychiatric disorders. Outside of my academics I love practicing movement, playing hockey, and reading 🙂 I am very excited to be a part of Cognito and host many educational and fun events this year!”
Timo: “Hi! My name is Timo van Hattem and I am the president of the Board of Cognito this year. I am 22 years old and from The Netherlands. For my Bachelor’s degree, I studied Psychobiology at the University of Amsterdam. During my Master’s degree, I will continue exploring my profound interest in the brain looking at memory, emotion and attention using neuroimaging techniques. I am very excited to represent the association this year and host many educational and fun events. Cheers!”