Finding balance where brain meets body

Sid Lefranc, class of 2027, always knew she wanted to study the human mind. Her acceptance into the University of Oregon’s neuroscience program made that possible. It’s a field that’s personal for Lefranc: her best friend lives with a traumatic brain injury and there are multiple neurodegenerative diseases running in her family.  

“When you think about trying to help people, especially if you have a personal connection to it, that really does drive you in a way that's important,” she says. 

Today, Lefranc is a Presidential Scholar and research assistant under principal investigator Ulrich Mayr whose Cognitive Dynamics Lab is housed in the Lewis Integrative Science Building. Her most recent project involves eye-tracking tests which are used to collect data about how an individual makes decisions within a simulation. 

“Being able to get involved with research has taught me a lot of the lingo and what a career in the field may look like,” Lefranc says. “Just through observing and being able to work on these projects, I've become only more fascinated with neuroscience.” 

While Lefranc spends most of her time pondering the human brain, when she’s not in the lab she can be found at Jiu Jitsu practice. Jiu Jitsu is a ground-based martial arts with techniques that look like those found in wrestling.  

“I found that when I'm working my mind, I can rest my body. And then when I work my body, I can rest my mind,” Lefranc explains. “When I'm using my brain all day long, going to Jui Jitsu and just forgetting everything and being able to use my body, it's the best release, and it makes me feel really refreshed for the next day.” 

Lefranc advocates for college students getting involved in hobbies and activities that fuel them beyond the academic realm. She notes that college can be stressful for many—which is why finding a supportive community like she’s found through Jiu Jitsu can be so rewarding.  

“You're not just here to work. You're also here to be a person and experience new things,” Lefranc says. 

Originally, Lefranc believed that she would graduate within three years because of the number of credits she had accrued in high school. But her Presidential Scholarship allowed her to pursue two additional minors of interest: bioengineering and Spanish.