Wharton Neuroscience

Student Society

(WiNSS)

Wharton Neuroscience Student Society (WiNSS) is an inclusive community, open to any and all faculty, undergraduates, graduate and professional students, and staff regardless of background, qualifications, or academic track.

The WiNSS community is open and diverse, connected and defined simply by a shared interest and enthusiasm for understanding the roots of human behavior, and translating this knowledge into new applications to improve business and society. The only prerequisite to become a part of WiNSS is an interest in connecting brain science and business.

To join our community or simply learn more, please sign up for our mailing list now.

Wharton Neuroscience Student Society

Wharton Neuroscience Student Society (WiNSS) is a student group within the Wharton Neuroscience Initiative. Student members are undergraduates, MBA students, professional and graduate students across all disciplines within Penn’s campus. The common thread is an interest in the intersection of brain science and business.

WiNSS holds monthly meetings, hosts luncheons with companies, shares job opportunities, encourages involvement in research, and facilitates learning about how neuroscience and business can be connected. WiNSS also advocates for academic initiatives at the university level, such as creating a minor or a concentration in Wharton and establishing an internship program.

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WiNSS Board (2020-2021)

Sophia Feldman

WiNSS President

Sophia is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences studying Cognitive Science with a minor in Consumer Psychology. She is interested in how neuroscience can explain and predict decision-making in the global workforce, and the applications of brain-machine interfaces. Outside of WiNSS, Sophia enjoys running and is involved in Wharton Latino, MUSE Social Impact Consulting, and is a Research Assistant at the Wharton Behavioral Lab.

Nicole Weinsten

Vice President External

Nicole is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences studying Cognitive and Computer Science with minors in French and International Relations. She is interested in how brain science can be applied in the workplace to optimize leader performance and business outcomes. Outside of the Wharton Neuroscience Initiative Student Society, Nicole plays on the Club Soccer team, mentors bilingual students in Philadelphia through the Francophone Community Partnership, and advises a cohort of first year students.

Shraavasti Bhat

Vice President Internal

Shraavasti is a sophomore in Wharton and the School of Engineering studying Computer Science and Finance. She is interested in seeing how Neuroscience can be applied to product design to influence consumer behavior. Outside of WiNSS, Shraavasti is a graphic designer for Financial Wellness@Penn and part of the climate movement at Penn through Penn Climate Ventures (PCV).

Jamaal Spence

Vice President Engagement

Jamaal is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences studying Neuroscience with a minor in Consumer Psychology. He enjoys learning about how neuroscience informs new technology, guides our understanding of team dynamics, and assists during leadership development. Outside of the Wharton Neuroscience Initiative Student Society, Jamaal writes poetry for the Excelano Project spoken word group and virtually tutors middle school students in math, science, and English.

Alexandra Vlasenkova

Vice President Academic Initiatives

Bio to Come

Xandro Xu

Vice President Academic Initiatives

Xandro is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences studying Neuroscience. He is interested in studying the intersectionality of brain science and business, specifically within healthcare, public policy, and DEI. Outside of WiNSS, Xandro is involved with the Undergraduate Assembly, the Symphony Orchestra, and the After School Arts Program.

Charlotte Krevitt

Vice President Marketing

Charlotte Krevitt is a junior in the College from New York City majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, with a minor in Consumer Psychology at the Wharton School of Business. She joined the WiNSS board her sophomore year when she discovered the importance WiNSS places on understanding the connection between neuroscience and business. Once realizing neuroscience applied in business lacked awareness on Penn’s campus, she was instantly passionate about taking on the role of VP of Marketing. Her hobbies include skiing and swimming.

Leyla Theunissen

Vice President Marketing

Leyla is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences studying Cognitive Science and Computer Science. She is interested in applications of AR/VR to businesses for training and performance optimization, as well as all decision processes central to the market and our everyday lives. On campus, Leyla is involved in Venture Lab, Penn Climate Ventures, and Penn Persians. She spends her free time trying out new restaurants, running (never down Locust), or reading.

WiNSS Board Positions 2022-2023

Apply for a 2022-2023 Board Position ⇒

POSITION	DESCRIPTION
President	The President is responsible for overseeing WiNSS by leading weekly board meetings and monthly GBMs. This role requires someone who is comfortable developing agendas, communicating ideas, engaging other members in conversation, and offering suggestions. The President should also regularly converse with WiNSS advisors (Zab and Kate) to ensure that responsibilities are being fulfilled in a timely manner. At the start of each semester, the President must coordinate with Wharton/SAC to sign up WiNSS for club fairs and relevant club trainings. Finally, the President offers assistance to other VPs as needed.
Vice President Internal	The VP Internal is responsible for managing internal affairs of WiNSS and serving as a direct link between the board and general body members. This role requires someone who is eager to plan community-building events and creative ways to build off the existing Scholars Program. The VP Internal may also take the lead on fostering new channels of communication (e.g. Slack) and facilitating board meetings by taking attendance/notes and distributing them afterward.
Vice President External	The VP External is responsible for managing external relations between WiNSS and the broader community, including but not limited to WiN, Wharton professors, guest speakers, etc. This position requires someone who is excited about event planning (i.e. Brain Biz luncheons, WiN conference, fireside chats, etc). The VP External should interact closely with VP Marketing and VP Engagement to advertise WiNSS events and identify appropriate listservs/social media platforms to broadcast events through.
Vice President Marketing	The VP Marketing is responsible for designing and publishing all promotional materials for WiNSS. This includes but is not limited to Canva event banners, Facebook events, Mailchimp announcements, WiNSS website, etc. The VP Marketing should have basic knowledge of social media and design platforms such as Canva.
Vice President Academic Initiatives	The VP Academic Initiatives is responsible for implementing the minor and encouraging academic interests at the intersection of neuroscience and business. This role requires someone who is persistent and willing to regularly meet with Penn’s academic chairs to finalize approval of the minor. The VP Academic Initiatives may also compile articles/publications related to neuroscience/business topics and distribute them to general body members to foster conversation about these interests (e.g. through Zoom small groups).
Vice President Engagement	The VP Engagement is responsible for assisting in promotion of events for both WiNSS and WiN. This includes outreach to other like-minded organizations, disseminating information via social media and email communications. The VP Engagement will work closely with all other board positions to ensure information reaches as many people as possible.

WiNSS Scholars Program Articles

WiNSS Scholars Articles are written by students at the University of Pennsylvania that are members of the Wharton Neuroscience Student Society (WiNSS). The aim of these articles is to break down specific topics of interest that bring neuroscience and business challenges together. These allow WiNSS students to engage with other academics, the general public, and the business community to help increase awareness and interest in neuroscience applications for business.