Fey Parrill, chair and professor in the Department of Cognitive Science, is one of only 58 recipients of the 2023 Rosalind Franklin Society Awards in Science. The award is given annually to recognize, foster and advance the critical contributions of women and underrepresented minorities in science.
Parrill is specifically recognized for outstanding peer-reviewed research by women and underrepresented minorities in STEM. Her award-winning research forged a new personal direction of topics by combining her academic and activist lives.
“To have the paper be well received was surprising and validating,” Parrill said.
Published in Ecopsychology, her research, “Revisioning Cognitive Science Through Holistic Science, Biophilia, and Indigenous Ways of Knowing” addresses four main bodies of work that place emphasis on humans’ need for connection to nature. Interlacing these, Parrill suggests that the cognitive sciences need to shift away from the current understanding of the human mind.
“We must remember that the mind is fundamentally connected to the planet on which it evolved,” said Parrill. “People are more willing to listen to arguments that have always been around in multiple disciplines. It’s tied to the worsening climate crisis, well-founded concerns about how technology may accelerate extractive industries and more people coming to terms with how systemic racism, imperialism and exploitation have always been part of this picture.”
Continuing her work through EHI
Parrill will keep exploring these topics with her project called “Ecology, Attention, Action,” that will be propelled by her awarding of an Expanding Horizons Initiative (EHI) grant. In this research, she is co-principal investigator along with art and art history’s Andrea Rager and music’s Francesca Brittan, along with co-investigators from English, Religious Studies and Psychological Sciences. Additionally, open discussions will be held monthly where she will work with undergraduate fellows, graduate fellows and colleagues in art history, music, English, religious studies and psychological sciences.
“We’ll explore the ways the human attention system has been co-opted by our culture so we no longer see, hear, smell, touch or taste things that are important for keeping us connected to the Earth,” Parrill said. “The bigger goal is to take action in our local community. I hope everyone will keep an eye out for announcements and attend our discussions.”