Trainee Profile: Jack Solomon
The unique and varied programming offered at the Brain Repair Centre opens students up to new avenues and possibilities that they might not be exposed to in the normal university environment. Jack Solomon, a PhD student in Dr. Shaun Boe’s Labratory of Brain Recovery and Function and a member of the Atlantic Mobility Action Project, has enjoyed learning many different ways to engage with a career in neuroscience.
“There are more avenues than one is typically taught as an undergrad student when you walk into a classroom,” he said. Jack recognizes that the BRC is special in what it offers to the trainees – the research clusters and Journal Clubs, which in turn provide further options in their career journey.
““The BRC fosters a lot of important [connections] that make a research environment health and productive.”
“What the BRC has done, historically, is to facilitate connections, not just with the academic community, but with the community at large,” Jack said, referring to the BRC’s events such as celebrating Brain Awareness Week, bringing students together through clubs and hosting competitions like the Brain Bee. “The BRC fosters a lot of important [connections] that make a research environment healthy and productive.”
Jack has been an active member of the BRC community – he was the Journal Club leader of the Interdisciplinary Science club and participated in the annual Brain Fair for Brain Awareness Week. Through these activities, he was able to connect with other trainees thanks to the BRC.
His area of research investigates how we learn using motor imagery, focusing on the brain regions that have roles in the learning process of motor function.
“I focus on motor learning, figuring out the mechanisms underlying learning through motor imagery, with the eventual end goal of implementing imagery in rehabilitative practices for people who have suffered from brain injury and lost function [of] a limb,” he says.
Jack comes from Chelsea, a small town in Quebec, and left for Halifax because he wanted a livelier setting. After some time living in Halifax, he completed a degree in neuroscience at Dalhousie. Now, Jack is looking at post-doc situations, something he hadn’t previously considered.
“You don’t need a clear path to get where you need to be,” he said. “Find something you’re interested in, try things out early and find what you like.”
Outside of school and work, Jack is an active athlete in snowboarding and skiing, works as an adult coordinator and coach with Scotia XC Ski Club and spends a lot of his time outdoors, camping, travelling and skiing.