Creativity, travel define Nelson’s Otterbein experience

By Grace Weidenhamer ’23

Otterbein senior psych major Logan Nelson is proof that creativity and worldly experiences are a crucial part of an Otterbein education.   

Nelson is finishing his semester-long exchange program in the Netherlands where he is studying cognitive neuroscience, a minor he created for himself.    

“We have an exchange program with Maastricht University,” Nelson said. “They have a lot of cool classes here that I actually used to put together my minor proposal. There are even some classes here that aren’t offered in the U.S. such as the neuroscience of psychedelics.”   

At Otterbein, Nelson has been active as a chorus singer and as the President of Psi Chi.   

Nelson’s ambition and love of psychology also took him to different parts of the United States.  

In 2021, Nelson participated in a summer research program in a neuroimaging lab at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The following summer he completed an internship at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute where he studied social neuroscience.   

“It is important to maximize your opportunities to make connections and get engaged,” Nelson said. “’Otterbein does provide a good environment for that.”  

Nelson has future plans to work toward his doctorate, but hopes to pursue the opportunity to get his Masters abroad. Nelson’s passion for travel has given him skills and opportunities that you cannot get only from a classroom.   

“I have made friends with people from all over the world,” Nelson said. “I have met people from so many different cultures and have just learned so much. The Netherlands is also in a really great spot to travel to all different places in Europe.”