When recalling some of the reasons he was drawn to Halifax for university, Emre Fertan described his desire for a change of pace. Halifax was a stark contrast to the busy and often chaotic city of Istanbul where Emre grew up, which made it the perfect place to call home and focus on his Bachelor of Science degree. 聽
鈥淗alifax is very welcoming, especially when people find out you鈥檙e an international student,鈥� says Emre, noting that strangers in front of him in line somewhere wouldn鈥檛 turn around and strike up a conversation in Istanbul.
But it was Emre鈥檚 second year studying at AV俱乐部 that he calls his 鈥渢urning point鈥� in Canada. Emre began working in Richard Brown鈥檚 behavioural neuroscience lab and instantly knew he would dedicate his career to working with the human brain. 鈥淲hat makes us human is our cognitive function,鈥� he says.
In Dr. Brown鈥檚 lab, Emre has been studying mouse models of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease. 鈥淥nce your brain starts to fade, you鈥檙e no longer you anymore鈥� and that鈥檚 a huge deal,鈥� he says, noting the significance of the life-changing disease.
He says he learns the most in the lab, but his volunteer experience with the QEII Health Sciences Centre gives him a unique perspective as well. Emre walks with geriatric patients so they can get exercise and interact with people from outside the hospital. 鈥淪ome of the patients have dementia, and it鈥檚 a reminder of why we do what we do, and why it鈥檚 so important,鈥� he says.
Building off his undergraduate degree in neuroscience, the honours student will continue to work with Dr. Brown鈥檚 research team in pursuit of a master鈥檚 degree. After that, Emre has his sights on medical school.
鈥淚n the last four years, I鈥檝e learned how the smallest molecules in the brain regulate the most complex behaviours,鈥� says Emre. 鈥淚 have Dal to thank for that.鈥�
This article is part of our series of profiles on the graduates of the Class of 2015. These profiles are also published in the Convocation Keepsake which is distributed at Convocation ceremonies. For more information (including live webcasts),聽.