Nontraditional MTSU student Elizabeth Lawrence wins Fulbright award to study for master’s in Finland

Middle Tennessee State University graduating senior Elizabeth Lawrence of Nashville will extend her academic journey beyond campus borders this summer after receiving a Fulbright–University of Jyväskylä award that will take her to Finland.

The award provides a fully funded first year through the Fulbright Program, followed by full tuition support from the University of Jyväskylä for the two-year graduate program, where Lawrence will pursue a master’s degree in music and science.

“I’m so thrilled I can’t believe it,” said Lawrence, 36.

Lawrence’s path to graduate school has been anything but traditional. She stepped away from college in 2008 while navigating a vision disorder, undiagnosed neurodivergence and financial barriers. During that time, she built a career as a touring musician and educator before returning to higher education through a growing interest in music cognition, language and neuroscience.

“I started with wanting to connect with people through music,” said Lawrence, who enrolled at Nashville State Community College through Tennessee Reconnect before transferring to MTSU as a Buchanan Transfer Fellowship recipient.

“Now I want to understand it scientifically and contribute to something that can help others to most optimally communicate and connect.”

Lawrence first became involved in research after taking a position at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Music Cognition Lab while attending Nashville State. There, she developed mentorships that continued after she transferred to MTSU.

At MTSU, Lawrence pursued an honors thesis through the Honors College and the Department of Psychology in the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences. Along the way, she secured more than $23,000 in scholarships and earned several academic honors, including the MTSU Provost’s Award and an Undergraduate Research Experience and Creative Activity, or URECA, grant.

“Conducting a thesis was important to me because it would indicate my seriousness and give me experience conducting rigorous research,” Lawrence said.

Cyrille Magne, professor of psychology and Lawrence’s mentor, said her academic preparation and community-focused research experiences helped position her for international study.

“She developed a strong foundation in analytical thinking and applied research,” Magne said. “She also engaged in hands-on, community-oriented work, which helped her connect academic questions to real-world contexts. These experiences, along with close mentorship, allowed her to refine her interests and build the confidence and independence needed to pursue an international research project.”

Honors College Dean John Vile praised Lawrence as an example of the strengths nontraditional students bring to higher education.

“She is one of the university’s superstars,” Vile said. “I am confident that she will be a great ambassador not only for MTSU but for the nation as a whole.”

Lawrence credited MTSU faculty, staff and fellow students for supporting her academic journey.

“MTSU has been essential to this journey,” she said. “I really had never had a home base for intellectual work before. The mentorship in the Honors College and Psychology Department, the ability to do independent study courses, and the support I found here went far beyond what I imagined.”

Lawrence’s Fulbright project, titled “Hierarchical Rhythms in Speech and Music-Induced Movement Across Relational Contexts,” examines how the brain processes rhythm and timing in both music and language. Her research explores how cues such as gesture, facial expression, eye gaze and vocal timing support communication and social connection.

Her work focuses on adolescents and individuals with differences in attention or temporal processing, including people with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD and developmental language disorders.

“Her Fulbright project, which focuses on gesture and interpersonal communication in musical and non-musical contexts, extends the work she initiated during her time at MTSU and our collaboration with Dr. Srishti Nayak at Vanderbilt University Medical Center,” Magne said. “Under our mentorship, she explored related topics on the association between musical expertise and speech perception, and the Fulbright gives her the opportunity to extend that work in a new cultural and research context. It’s very much a continuation and expansion of what she started here.”