MEET OUR STUDENTS: Travis Dumais: Budding Neuroscientist and Researcher

“I was trying to be Jimmy Page, basically,” he said. “But I’m going to sell all my music stuff. Do you know anyone who wants to buy an amplifier and four guitars?”

Dumais' focus these days is on neuroscience. When describing the field, he prefers to keep it simple. “Neuroscience is figuring out the function of each part of the brain and how to repair the parts when they’re broken," he said. "The part of the brain I’m most interested in is the part that allows you to sense other people’s emotions. There are people who have reduced functioning in that area of the brain, such as people with autism. I’m interested in researching ways to treat this.”

This summer, he asked to join the research fellowship team led by Steven Threlkeld, assistant professor of psychology, to study the effects of a protein to treat brain injuries in infants. He is also working on an independent honors thesis with mentor David Sugarman, professor of psychology, focused on morality and religion.

“My thoughts are usually going a mile a minute, and I tend to skip around from one thing to the next,” Dumais said. “Dr. Sugarman’s patience is unparalleled. He directed me in subtle ways each week until I finally narrowed down my topic and arrived where I needed to be. I learn more in an hour talking with Dr. Sugarman than a lot of people learn in one year just living their lives.”

Through Threlkeld, Dumais said he has learned a great deal about neuroscience and the scientific method. “I’ve held a brain in my hands for the first time, I attended a conference with hundreds of other students and presented my work, I helped discover a possible treatment for a brain injury that affects thousands of babies every year. Honestly, the thing I like most about RIC is the faculty. If it weren’t for great professors like Steve and Dave, college would just be a bunch of fancy buildings and grass.”

When asked what he is looking forward to in the future, Dumais said, “It would be very similar to what I’m doing now. I’d wake up and read and write about things that I think are cool and I’d be a part of an intellectually stimulating environment, like the environment I have here at RIC.”