Author | Lightnews

Melody Schwenk @melodyfschwenk.bsky.social · Sep 16

What an honor to have gone from desperately seeking funding to having a NIH F31 and NAEd/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship two years later. I’m still in shock

Melody Schwenk @melodyfschwenk.bsky.social · Sep 13

The symposium on deaf children with cochlear implants linguistic development was refreshingly not negative! I finally don’t feel guilty about being deaf and appreciative of hearing technology (and weirdly excited about being able to get my CI after I defend?!) #SNL2025

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Melody Schwenk @melodyfschwenk.bsky.social · Sep 12

Woohoo! I finally got a conference award ribbon! #SNL2025

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Melody Schwenk @melodyfschwenk.bsky.social · Sep 7

Today I found … 👀 @orioles.com

Melody Schwenk @melodyfschwenk.bsky.social · Aug 20

Finding a Labubu is hard. Joining our study? Way easier! Help us understand spatial cognition + get paid for your time! Sign up here: bit.ly/f31_nav #Research #Cognition #PaidStudy

Cartoon illustration of a brown bison wearing an EEG cap, holding a magnifying glass and looking at a pile of colorful toys. Among the toys is a rare yellow “Labubu” figure, highlighted with lines to show it’s been found. Large text at the top reads: “THIS STUDY IS EASIER THAN FINDING A LABUBU.”

Melody Schwenk @melodyfschwenk.bsky.social · Aug 13

How does language shape the way we think about space? 🧠🦬
Take part in my Ph.D. study on spatial cognition & ASL.
~45 min online (US adults 18+), optional EEG in DC. $25/hour for your time!

bit.ly/f31_nav

#Neuroscience #ASL #ResearchStudy

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Melody Schwenk @melodyfschwenk.bsky.social · Aug 10

Just spend ~16+ hours reworking my dissertation study setup (same tasks just different way to deliver them!) and I think the thing I’m most proud of is that I learned how to add screen reader capabilities to the online version of my behavioral tasks. Accessibility!

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Melody Schwenk @melodyfschwenk.bsky.social · Aug 9

Can you travel through space & time?(cognitively, of course 😉)
Join our study on language & navigation. Start online now; DC/NoVA/MD folks can add a short EEG visit later.
Sign up: bit.ly/f31_nav
#Deaf #ASL #PaidStudy #DC #EEG

Cartoon poster with a smiling brain, a blue ‘POLICE BOX’, a rocket, a volcano, a dinosaur on a jeep, and stars. Big title: ‘Can you travel through space & time too?’ Footer: This study has been reviewed by the Gallaudet University IRB.

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Melody Schwenk @melodyfschwenk.bsky.social · Jul 31

Hobby collecting baseball cards is more stressful than:
1) Recruiting participants for my dissertation while managing a skull fracture
2) Labubu drops
3) Getting Eras tour tickets

It only took 45 minutes of refreshing to get the Bob Ross collectors box. I have now survived several wars.

Melody Schwenk @melodyfschwenk.bsky.social · Jul 15

Here’s to afternoon daydreaming/brainstorms and the magic that happens when neuroscience meets left-field dimensions.

Melody Schwenk @melodyfschwenk.bsky.social · Jul 15

What if that landmark became the on-field equivalent of a ballet dancer’s “spotting” cue, shaving micro-seconds off reaction time the same way a pirouette avoids dizziness? And what if the drilling only needed a cone pattern, a tablet, and eight minutes of anchored sprints?

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Melody Schwenk @melodyfschwenk.bsky.social · Jul 15

Just had one of those ‘what-if’ afternoons where a coffee, a Statcast spray chart, and a brain wired for spatial cognition collided. What if every ballpark had a signature landmark (think Home-Run Apple, Green Monster, or the new Camden LF wall) mapped into a player’s mind before they ever took BP?

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Melody Schwenk @melodyfschwenk.bsky.social · Jul 7

As a present to myself after fracturing my skull I got a Labubu monster. I somehow ended up with a secret one after a random rest stop purchase!

up in front of a bright red bag. The toy on the left has fluffy gray fur, rainbow-colored eyes and teeth, and a mischievous grin, making it look quirky and playful. The toy on the right has tan fur, a rounder face, and large glossy eyes, appearing softer and more innocent. Both toys have animal-like ears and are designed to look like cute little monsters. A hand with tattoos is holding them in the foreground, and the photo was taken inside a car.

Melody Schwenk @melodyfschwenk.bsky.social · Mar 31

I think Lindor uses a similarly shaped one but I don’t think they necessarily need those bats. Look at how Siri, Nimmo, and Soto have been with stealing/getting walks. Bats could help of course but I think they’re warming up and their strategy is improving overall.

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Melody Schwenk @melodyfschwenk.bsky.social · Mar 31

Spatial cognition?
Decision-making under pressure?
Ball tracking?

That’s Apollo’s job. I just run the models.

(Yes, that’s a custom Mets jersey. No, I don’t have chill.)

#Mets #MLB #NFL #DataNerds #SpatialCognition #Neuroscience

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Melody Schwenk @melodyfschwenk.bsky.social · Mar 27

Paredes path to home was … WHY DID YOU MAKE THAT ARC. I am not a base runner or Astros fan but … that less less than optimal base running dude. Time to recalibrate those grid cells in his hippocampus

#neuroscience #LGM

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Melody Schwenk @melodyfschwenk.bsky.social · Mar 26

Big thanks to @jasonthemanson.bsky.social for our meeting and helping me think through practical applications of my work beyond traditional grant contexts. Excited to keep pushing forward! Baseball <— spatial cognition <—> NIH

Melody Schwenk @melodyfschwenk.bsky.social · Mar 25

Might run 10k simulations in The Show.
Might work on my manuscript.
Who knows!
(I am doing both. Obviously.)

Melody Schwenk @melodyfschwenk.bsky.social · Mar 22

Just a spatial cognition girly with a dissertation about maps and ASL fluency… getting a reply from Sig Mejdal after asking about batting strategy.

Not to be dramatic, but the assistant GM of the Orioles emailing back cognition just might be the highlight of my PhD.

I’m fine. (Omg!)

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Melody Schwenk @melodyfschwenk.bsky.social · Mar 19

I obviously learned it rewrote my entire proposal section after the fact and I am still scarred and stressed from rewriting to fix my bracket problems.

Melody Schwenk @melodyfschwenk.bsky.social · Mar 19

Me: asks ChatGPT to check my writing and find the error in my latex
ChatGPT: I will edit it! It will sound robotic!
Me: I just wanted you to check my latex brackets… please. I am tired.

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Melody Schwenk @melodyfschwenk.bsky.social · Mar 18

Geeking out over someone at @mets.com searching for me on LinkedIn.

I need some fresh air. Some peanuts and cracker jacks maybe.

Melody Schwenk @melodyfschwenk.bsky.social · Mar 18

To be fair, my brain might be erasing, but musicians’ brains definitely aren’t. They’re 100% having more mu desynchronization. How does this play out in football?

Anyone know if there’s been research comparing mu rhythms between pitchers, catchers, and batters? (Or any combo of the three, really?)

Melody Schwenk @melodyfschwenk.bsky.social · Mar 18

For example: Pitchers tweaking mechanics aren’t throwing out their old skills—they’re updating their visual-spatial sketchpad.

The brain isn’t erasing, it’s integrating. Schemas are incredible (and important!). I wonder if the frontal coherence is similar across domains?

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Melody Schwenk @melodyfschwenk.bsky.social · Mar 18

1) Language learners sharpen spatial awareness.
Pitchers & hitters refine movement perception.
2) Both are rewiring their brains, not just “getting better with practice.”
3) Cognitive training isn’t fake—it’s just misunderstood.
What other fields do you think leverage this kind of skill adaptation?

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