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

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University graduating senior Elizabeth Lawrence of Nashville will extend her academic journey beyond campus borders as she heads to Finland this summer on a Fulbright–University of Jyväskylä award.

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.

Middle Tennessee State University senior psychology major Elizabeth Lawrence of Nashville, Tenn., right, holds the MTSU Provost’s Award presented to her during the MTSU Bolt Awards ceremony held Tuesday, April 14, in the Student Union Ballroom on campus in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Standing behind her on stage is MTSU Provost Mark Byrnes, left, and College of Behavioral and Health Sciences Assistant Dean Lee Wade, center. (MTSU photo by James Cessna)

“I’m so thrilled I can’t believe it,” said 36-year-old Lawrence, who will pursue a master’s degree in music and science.

After stepping away from college in 2008 while navigating a vision disorder, undiagnosed neurodivergence and financial barriers, Lawrence built a career as a touring musician and educator. She returned to formal study through a deepening interest in music cognition, language and neuroscience.

MTSU offered research opportunities

Middle Tennessee State University graduating senior Elizabeth Lawrence, a Buchanan Transfer Fellow from Nashville, Tenn., received the Fulbright–University of Jyväskylä award and will head to the University of Jyväskylä in Finland this summer for a two-year master’s degree program in music and science. Lawrence will head to Finland in June after graduating in May from MTSU in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Submitted photo)

“I started with wanting to connect with people through music,” said Lawrence, who enrolled at Nashville State Community College through Tennessee Reconnect before heading to MTSU via the prestigious Buchanan Transfer Fellowship scholarship.

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

Her first real dip into research came when she stepped away from Nashville State and took a position at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Music Cognition Lab where she established mentorships that followed her to MTSU.

Through the Honors College and the Department of Psychology in the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences, Lawrence pursued an honors thesis and found numerous research opportunities to bolster her higher education journey, garnering more than $23,000 in scholarships along the way.

“Conducting a thesis was important to me because it would indicate my seriousness and give me experience conducting rigorous research,” said Lawrence, whose outstanding academic achievements include the prestigious MTSU Provost’s Award and Undergraduate Research Experience and Creative Activity, or URECA, grant.

Nancy Prescott, Honors College student engagement and programs coordinator, called Lawrence “a standout student.”

“Not only is she a tremendous researcher, she is a calm and encouraging presence to her peers,” said Prescott, an MTSU alumna. “We are all proud to know this kind, intelligent and ceaselessly advancing young woman.”

Honors College Dean John Vile said Lawrence represents the strengths of nontraditional students returning 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 is quick to sing praises of MTSU faculty, staff and fellow students.

“MTSU has been essential to this journey,” Lawrence 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.”

The next steps

Lawrence’s Fulbright project, “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.

“Successful communication happens with and without words,” Lawrence said. “Music and language share more than we often realize. Understanding how rhythm and timing work in both can help us understand how people connect — and where communication can break down.”

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

By linking music-induced movement with conversational timing, Lawrence hopes her research will inform future work in communication, emotional regulation and neurological development.

— Nancy DeGennaro (Nancy.DeGennaro@mtsu.edu)