Office Artifacts: Alice Cronin-Golomb

CAS psychological and brain sciences prof shares art inspired by the brain

Office Artifacts: Alice Cronin-Golomb

CAS psychological and brain sciences prof shares art inspired by the brain

1 2 3 4 5 6

Alice Cronin-Golomb, CAS professor of psychological and brain sciences, in her office

United Methodist Church Scholar/Teacher of the Year Award in the office of Boston University professor Alice Cronin-Golomb

Cronin-Golomb received the United Methodist Church Scholar/Teacher of the Year Award in 2012. The annual award celebrates scholars from schools historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church who have demonstrated dedication and contributions to the learning arts and to their institution.

Brain model made of rubber bands in the office of Boston University professor Alice Cronin-Golomb

This brain was crafted by a student from rubber bands for an extra credit project.

Signed baseball in the office of Boston University professor Alice Cronin-Golomb

A baseball signed by former Red Sox pitcher Luis Tiant, who played on the team from 1971 through 1978. “Until they built the Hotel Commonwealth, I could see Fenway Park from my office,” says longtime Red Sox fan Cronin-Golomb.

Inscribed bag in the office of Boston University professor Alice Cronin-Golomb

This bag was a gift from a student, and it has special resonance for Cronin-Golomb, since she studied abroad in Germany as an undergraduate. The inscription’s translation: “Statistics are not funny!”

Tea bags in the office of Boston University professor Alice Cronin-Golomb

When Cronin-Golomb earned tenure, her graduate students gave her this iguana sculpture and poem.

The brain needs fuel, and so Cronin-Golomb keeps a hefty supply of tea bags on hand.

Click on the circles above to see more of what Alice Cronin-Golomb displays in her Kenmore Square office.

April 13, 2017

Amy Laskowski

Cydney Scott

To get students to think about the brain, Alice Cronin-Golomb encourages them to eat one—made out of cake, of course.

The College of Arts & Sciences professor of psychological and brain sciences teaches undergraduate neuropsychology, an academically challenging class with quirky extra credit assignments. In her annual edible brain competition, entries must be complex and anatomically accurate. It also helps if they are delicious. “Some students make cakes,” she says, “but Rice Krispie Treats are easy to mold. I’ve seen great ones made out of fruit.”

While the edible brains don’t survive long enough to be displayed in her Kenmore Square office, art that pays homage to the brain is splashed all over, like the brain sculpture made out of rainbow rubber bands and Styrofoam that sits on a bookshelf. “A student put a huge amount of effort into this,” says Cronin-Golomb, the codirector of the BU Center for Clinical Biopsychology and director of its Vision and Cognition Laboratory. “MRIs of white matter of the brain are shown using very colorful imagery, so I think the student was trying to simulate that. These extra credit assignments have to be something that shows a lot of work.”

Cronin-Golomb, who has taught at BU for 27 years and has amassed numerous teaching awards, says that many successful scientists have creative outlets and the extra credit work she assigns encourages students to use their creativity. “They are something that gets students excited and helps them think about the material from another angle,” she says. “Because when you’re putting these things together, you have to study the anatomy to do it right.”

In our series “Office Artifacts,” BU Today highlights interesting artifacts professors display in their office. Have a suggestion about someone we should profile? Email amlaskow@bu.edu.

This Series

Office Artifacts: Lawford Anderson

Also in