Nika Dolynuk

Nika Dolynuk is a senior at Skidmore College, majoring in neuroscience and dance research. She has co-authored on papers such as “Urban immersion as education: Motivation, engagement, and learning in city games” and “Inferring Pink and Blue Collars: Children’s Eye Movements when Reading Gender Stereotyped Occupations” and presented at conferences such as Psychonomics and the Eastern Psychological Association. She has over three years of research experience in both cognitive and behavioral neuroscience. Last fall, she embarked on a choreographic project after just recovering from a back injury, at a time when she felt most disconnected from dance. The result, Synesthesia, is a modern dance piece combining different art mediums, dance, poetry, and painting as a way to express human connection. It was also the support, determination, and love from her cast that made this dance ever possible. This project fueled and empowered her personal growth as she had to build her faith in her abilities and dreams. Nika Dolynuk has also been awarded the Kathy and Charlie DiSanto Memorial Fund, which supported her work with the International Rescue Committee this past summer; she was a peer mentor for newly immigrated youth in New York City, helping them to adjust to the public school system through academic, dance, creative art, physical education, and social-emotional courses. Outside of dance and neuroscience, she also volunteers with the Guide Dog Foundation and loves cooking, hiking, and petting cats.