erik-aspuiowaedu

Department
Neurology

Lab
Dan Tranel

Research Interests

My main research interest is identifying brain structures that are critical for belief. Using the lesion method, I hope to outline important circuitry for this seemingly basic mental process. Other areas that I am fascinated with are brain areas that are critical for a variety of social psychology phenomenon, including helping behavior, moral decisions, attribution theory, and social emotions. In another line of research I am looking at increases or decreases of religiosity following brain-damage. One of the greatest assets while doing research at the University of Iowa is the freedom to try to answer any question that you might pose. If you have an interesting neuroscience question and can propose a reasonable way to answer it--then there is a very good chance you will have the support of the faculty. There are very few graduate schools that allow this kind of independence

Living in Iowa City

Beyond the research opportunities afforded to the student by the U of I, the school has much to offer. It is located in Iowa City, a small town in eastern Iowa. Iowa City has the feel of a small town but has the amenities of a larger city. Some of the activities I engage in when not studying are going to the football games, having bonfires, going boating at the Coralville Dam, going bowling, playing hockey at the Coral Ridge Mall, and enjoying the nightlife. The University makes the city very vibrant, but the small town nature of Iowa City is revealed through the graciousness and kindness of its people. It is truly a small midwestern gem in the middle of Iowa cornfields.