Welcome to the Oakland University Cognition and Behavior Laboratory

The research in our laboratory primarily focuses on the common, basic, processes that determine what we learn and what we remember, as well as how this learning and memory takes place. For this purpose, we use a variety of species ranging from invertebrates to humans, as well as a variety of techniques such as the use of pharmaceuticals, complex behavioral training, and eyetracking technology.

A primary focus of the laboratory is student training. Thus, we are also actively investigating the factors that favor or hinder progress in STEM careers, especially in at-risk and underrepresented populations.


Undergraduate students interested in joining the lab in Fall 2020/Winter 2021 can submit an application and will be contacted by Dr. Escobar regarding research possibilities .

URAs must be available for 6-10 h per week, some weekends, and must commit to working in the lab for a minimum of 1 year
(submit an application using the "Join the lab" link)

We currently have an opening for one PhD and one MS student seeking to research broadening participation in STEM. Interested students are encouraged to contact Dr. Escobar as soon as possible.

All graduate applicants are encouraged to contact Dr. Escobar before submitting an application to Oakland University

Lab News




The PATHs program is funded by the National Science Foundation's AGEP program. To learn more about the PATHs program, click here. To learn more about NSF's AGEP program, click here.
The PATHs program held a virtual retreat on August 15, 2020. In attendance were Dr. Lily McNair (President, Tuskegee University), Dr. Alisa Mosley (Provost, Jackson State University), Dr. Carla Bell (Interim Provost and VP for Academic Affairs, Tuskegee University), Dr. Keith Hargrove (Dean, College of Engineering, Tennessee State University), Dr. Channapatna Prakash (Dean, College of Arts and Sciences), Dr. Kai Koong (Dean, Andrew F. Brimmer College of Business & Information Science), and Dr. Wilber Walters Dean, College of Science, Engineering, and Technology, Jackson State University).  Our keynote speaker was Dr. Camille McKayle (Provost and VP for Academic Affairs, University of the Virgin Islands), who made a presentation on the career pathways and challenges experienced by women as they navigate through positions in Academia.
We will soon be saying goodbye to four of our lab members! Our M.S. student, Jacob Dowell (top left) will be joining the Neuroscience Ph.D. Program at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Three of our undergraduate students will be moving to the next stage of their careers. Brittany Fust (top right) will be joining the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at Central Michigan University, Claire Bova (bottom left) is currently preparing for the MCAT and will be working as a medical scribe while applying to medical school, and Brad Vandecar (bottom right) will be joining the Biochemistry Ph.D. program at Wayne State University.
We wish these great students the best, and will miss them terribly! We are so proud of you!!!
Our undergraduate research assistant Emily Wolf has been awarded an NIH IRTA fellowship to conduct biomedical research on high throughput testing for tuberculosis. Emily will be joining a lab at the NIH laboratories in Bethesda, MD, in fall 2020.
After completing her fellowship, Emily plans to attend medical school with the intention of specializing in emergency medicine.
We are incredibly proud of Emily, and wish her the best as she transitions to the next stage of her professional training.
MAKING AN IMPACT! How many students can we reach with our STEM programs? Here is a small sample! Our 2019-2020 BUILDERS scholars (left), current HBCU-UP, LSAMP, and S-STEM scholars (center), and 2019-2020 LEGACY scholars (right) pose for group pictures in front of the Booker T. Washington monument and the Brimmer College of Business and Information Science and Tuskegee University.
Oakland University recently hosted the TriState(Plus) conference on Animal Learning and Behavior.

To learn more about the TriState(Plus) conference, click here.
Our research in STEM education was recently featured in the Association for Psychological Science's Observer.
Another of our undergraduate research assistants, Chukwuebuka (Ebuka) Unobagha, has been featured in the OU homepage. Ebuka is one of the recipients of the "Keeper of the Dream" award, which is given to exceptional students who help break down stereotypes and promote racial and cultural understanding. Learn more about the significance of this award here
Dr. Escobar has received funding from the ITEST and AGEP programs of NSF as part of two multi-institutional projects. The ITEST project (Legacy) is designed to develop and implement a model of STEM education to increase participation of African American young women in computer science, and the AGEP project (PATHs) will be aimed at increasing successful academic progression of junior faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Our undergraduate research assistant, Amanda Lechnar, was featured in the OU homepage. We are incredibly proud of everything Amanda has accomplished and wish her the best as she begins her training in veterinary medicine at MSU in the fall. Read Amanda's featured story here.
Dr. Escobar in the STELAR ITEST PI/PD summit, Alexandria VA.
We sadly say goodbye to Syed and Amanda, our graduating Undergraduate Research Assistants. Syed will be joining the Counseling Program at OU, and Amanda will be joining the Veterinary Medicine Program at MSU. We'll miss having them in the lab and wish them great success as they continue their education!
Dr. Escobar and Graduate student Zebulon Bell attended the Tri-State(plus) meeting (April 20-22) at Hiram College, OH. Thank you to Dr. Amber Chenoweth and the Hiram group for their hospitality! (Picture credits: Jeff Wilson, Marshall Event Photography).
LSAMP/S-STEM students and faculty in front of the Booker T. Washington statue at Tuskegee University.
Dr. Escobar (along with her co-PIs, Drs. McDonald and Zeigler-Hill) participated in the LSAMP/S-STEM Tuskegee Conference (April 15, 2018). At the conference, she gave a talk on "staying on track for graduation." The students did an incredible job at presenting their research and prototypes. What an incredible group of up-and-coming scientists!
 Graduate student Zebulon Bell presented a paper at the Annual Meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association in Philadelphia, PA (March 1-3, 2018)
Dr. Escobar joined the Editorial Team of Learning and Motivation as Associate Editor. Visit the journal at www.journals.elsevier.com/learning-and-motivation
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Zebulon Kade Bell has joined our laboratory as a Ph.D. student. Zeb received his M.S. from Georgia Southern University in 2017 under the advisement of Dr. Kent Bodily. Welcome to the lab!
Dr. Escobar, in collaboration with Dr. Melissa McDonald (Department of Psychology) has received funding from the HBCU-UP program of NSF as part of a multi-institutional project designed to develop and implement a model of STEM education leading to a minor in Materials Science and Engineering at Tuskegee University.
Dr. Escobar has received has received a subaward from the INCLUDES program of NSF as part of a multi-institutional project designed to develop and implement a new curriculum for computer science education in the Alabama Black Belt. The project is led by Tuskegee University and the University of Alabama.
Dr. Escobar, in collaboration with Drs. Zeigler-Hill and McDonald have recently received funding from the S-STEM program of NSF as part of a multi-institutional project designed to investigate and implement a model of undergraduate education in STEM aimed at improving participation of academically-talented, low income students.
Dr. Escobar, in collaboration with Dr. Mark Olson (Department of Teacher Development and Educational Studies) have received funding from the ITEST program of NSF as part of a multi-institutional project designed to investigate and implement a model of STEM education for high school students in the Black Belt of Alabama. The project will also target STEM teachers, and its primary goal is to introduce some of the principles assessed into the curriculum of the participating school districts.