Costanza

I left Italy, where I was working as a science high school teacher and doing research in a immunology and brain pathology lab, to pursue my master’s degree in Neuroscience and Education at Teachers College. I am currently conducting a study at Columbia University’s Fear, Anxiety and Biosocial Behavioral Laboratory, where we use sophisticated neuroimaging techniques to take a peek into human brains as they experience different types of emotions. The line of inquiry I am most passionate about explores how socioemotional skills can be cultivated to promote the development of coping strategies that build resilience and allow people to face stressful and demanding situations in adaptive and productive ways. I’m extremely passionate about science research and there is nothing I enjoy more than sharing this passion with my students, guiding them through the same concepts I struggled with in school and encouraging them to think critically in order to achieve the kind of knowledge that made me want to become a scientist. I strongly believe that each and every student is capable of achieving great results if appropriately mentored. This is why I spend a lot of my free time volunteering with organizations devoted to closing the opportunity gap in education and teaching neuroscience courses in the schools of underserved communities. I also enjoy making art and often use it to turn “abstract” science concepts into 3D models as a means to enhance students’ learning experiences. Oh and I’m a big fan of old school east coast hip hop.