Nora (Junga) Youn

My academic journey at Penn has been hectic yet rewarding. I started out as a computer science major (for the money), then became a political science major (it was interesting), and now I am a visual studies major (even more interesting) with a minor in data science (fun and useful). To start research, I reached out to various departments all over the spectrum of social science and the mind sciences (divisions between fields feel rather arbitrary to me). To start, I dabbled in communications research, marketing research, and neuromarketing research. But the questions that deeply interested me were about the mind, the visual environment, and visual imagery. I searched up keywords that relate to my interests and stumbled upon the Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics. I promptly reached out to them despite having minimal relevant experience and was thankfully given the opportunity by a researcher who took a chance on me (shoutout Eileen). Last year, I led a project about slow-looking at art, and this year I’m investigating the restorative
effects of aesthetic nature stimuli. I presented my research for an empirical aesthetics conference in the spring at Mallorca, Spain, which introduced me to a variety of exciting aesthetics research that I had not known about. It solidified my interest in graduate school, and that’s what I’m working towards. Fingers crossed.

Ask me about navigating interdisciplinary research, discovering interests, and reaching out to professors! I’m also open to any other questions that you may have, or to just chat.

• Undergraduate Researcher at the Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics (independent study in neuroaesthetics) 
• Research assistant for Dr. Yun at the Platt Labs (Neuromarketing)
• Research assistant for Dr. Reibstein at the Wharton School (Geographic Branding)
• Research assistant for Sound of Victory project for Dr. Johnson in the Annenberg School of Communications and Dr. Cox at the University of Oregon
• Poster presentation at Biennial Congress of the International Association for Empirical Aesthetics (2024)
• IAEA Student Travel Grant
• College Alumni Society Undergraduate Research Grant (2023)
• College of Arts and Sciences Travel Grants for Academic Conferences (2024)

Hobbies: Reading, sleeping, taking long power walks, binging TV, violin