Grace Bonnema and Tushya Mehta, sophomores in the College of Arts & Letters, have been selected to present their research at the Council on Undergraduate Research’s Posters on the Hill, a national event featuring exceptional undergraduate research from across the country. They will present their poster, Narrative Processing of Music: How Culture Influences Our Perception of Music, virtually to an audience of Congress members, congressional staffers, federal government officials, academics, and fellow students. 

“I feel very honored to be selected to present at CUR’s Posters on the Hill,” said Bonnema, a Human Biology and Women’s Studies and Bioethics major. “Tushya and I are very passionate about the work we do, and it’s exciting to be able to share our passion for this study on a national level.”

Bonnema and Mehta conducted their research through the Digital Humanities & Literary Cognition Lab (DHLC), which is devoted to cultivating interdisciplinary projects across literature, cognitive science, and digital humanities, including experiments in literary neuroscience, research in the history of mind, and the development of a creative array of digital technologies for research and teaching.  

I feel very honored to be selected to present at CUR’s Posters on the Hill. Tushya and I are very passionate about the work we do, and it’s exciting to be able to share our passion for this study on a national level.

Grace Bonnema, Human Biology and Women’s Studies and Bioethics major

“At the DHLC, undergraduates work alongside faculty and graduate students as colleagues, each one bringing rich insights to the work,” said Natalie Phillips, Associate Professor and Co-Director of the DHLC. “This is a fantastic opportunity for Tushya and Grace. It’s an amazing chance for them to share this cross-cultural research on the stories we hear in music with congresspeople.” 

Cultural Influences & The Stories Music Tells 

A German, Biology, and Neuroscience major, Mehta met his research partner, Bonnema, and their mentor Dr. Phillips, through the DHLC. 

“I found the DHLC Lab after I heard of Dr. Phillips and told her how I loved interdisciplinary work and wanted to write a paper on a lab that does interdisciplinary work,” Mehta said. “I fell in love with the lab as soon as I got to know about the amazing things they do and asked to work there. Surprisingly, both Grace and I started working for the lab on the same day.” 

Both students already had a passion for research having conducted research at their respective high schools before entering college. After finding out about the interdisciplinary research possibilities within the DHLC, both Bonnema and Mehta were eager to uncover cross-cultural and interdisciplinary questions. 

Funded by the National Science Foundation and in collaboration with MSU’s Timing, Attention, and Perception (TAP) Lab directed by Dr. J. Devin McAuley, the larger DHLC Music and Narrative project started in 2016. Bonnema and Mehta decided to use this bank of research data to create a poster based on some of the cultural differences they saw in response to the ongoing instrumental music research. 

Our love for languages and linguistics inspired us to explore the role of storytelling in music processing and how we can use instrumental music to convey ideas across cultures.

Tushya Mehta, German, Biology, and Neuroscience major

“Our love for languages and linguistics inspired us to explore the role of storytelling in music processing and how we can use instrumental music to convey ideas across cultures,” Mehta said.

Bonnema and Mehta found that people do imagine and “hear” stories when they are exposed to music, but cultural influences greatly impact what kind of stories people create. 

“Within our research, we observed that Western and Chinese listeners had contrasting perceptions about the themes and tone of the music,” Bonnema said. “So for example, if a similar instrumental piece of music to the ones in our study were played before an international conference, the conflicting moods and themes across cultures could lead to a diplomatic disaster.” 

CUR’s Poster on the Hill Presentation 

Because of their findings, Bonnema, Mehta, and the entire DHLC thought this to be the perfect presentation for CUR’s Poster on the Hill event, as it is crucial for government officials to be aware of how cultural differences in response to instrumental music could impact diplomatic relations. 

“The questions Grace and Tushya are exploring — about music cognition and the crucial role stories play in our cultural engagement with the arts — become the foundation for new experiments, ones that they help design,” Phillips said. “Tushya and Grace are not only taking part in this research but helping lead it and bring it to life. Our lab couldn’t do it without them, and I’m thrilled for them to bring this important, interdisciplinary work to Capitol Hill.” 

Tushya and Grace are not only taking part in this research but helping lead it and bring it to life. Our lab couldn’t do it without them, and I’m thrilled for them to bring this important, interdisciplinary work to Capitol Hill.

Natalie Phillips, Associate Professor and Co-Director of the DHLC

Bonnema and Mehta will present their research via a virtual meeting on April 28. Along with presenting their research, they will act as advocates for undergraduate research.

“Both Grace and I take this achievement as a responsibility,” Mehta said. “We have the opportunity to represent the voices of undergraduate researchers at a federal level and advocate for federal funding to higher education institutions, like Michigan State University.” 

I’ve been in all the Music and Narratives meetings with those two and have seen their level of dedication, enthusiasm, and commitment to the project. This is a well-deserved honor, both for them and for the lab.

Soohyun Cho, Ph.D. candidate in English and lab lead at the DHLC.

According to their team members, there’s no one better than Bonnema and Mehta to represent MSU. 

“I’ve been in all the Music and Narratives meetings with those two and have seen their level of dedication, enthusiasm, and commitment to the project,” said Soohyun Cho, Ph.D. candidate in English and lab lead at the DHLC. “This is a well-deserved honor, both for them and for the lab.”

For more information on CUR’s Poster on the Hill event, visit their website, and to learn more about the Digital Humanities and Literary Cognition Lab, visit the DHLC website.