Post and pictures by volunteer Ashley Keates, Portland State University
As NW Noggin stepped feet and brains into p:ear we could instantly sense the great vibes and excitement from some of the youth at this much beloved and essential homeless youth center. One of the directors signaled a volunteer aside and mentioned “You see him in that red hat? I almost never see him engaged in many things and yet whenever NW Noggin has been here he lights up. He LOVES this.”
LEARN MORE: NW Noggin @ p:ear
LEARN MORE: Landscapes of the Brain: Seeing us all through research & art
At first the colorful 3D printed brains (a donation from our partnership with the Portland 3D Printing Lab) caught everyones’ attention and questions were asked about what the differences were. “I didn’t know there was an inside!,” exclaimed someone referencing the orange and magenta white matter models compared to the “bark of the brain” gray matter in incandescent green..!
What would happen if someone got shot in the head? What happens to the brain if a bullet goes through it? Serious questions that are undoubtedly influenced by the dangers that many of those who experience houselessness face, and also, of course, a grotesque and predictable consequence of lax gun regulations across the United States. P:ear is a wonderful organization set up to mentor Portland’s homeless youth to affirm personal worth and create healthier lives and communities.
LEARN MORE: Craniocerebral Gunshot Injuries; A Review of the Current Literature
LEARN MORE: Saving lives by regulating guns: Evidence for policy
LEARN MORE: Trickster Brains @ Shahala
More questions were asked about learning styles and what parts of the brain were used for creativity. Are some people better auditory learners than visual learners? What about savants? Is creativity really just a “right brain” function? NOPE! There is much greater complexity at play in the classic left/right brain depiction, and we can all learn and be creative in many different ways.
LEARN MORE: Why Art? Noggins go to Washington
LEARN MORE: Learning Styles: Concepts and Evidence
LEARN MORE: Learning styles: where’s the evidence?
LEARN MORE: Learning styles: A once hot debate redshifts
If I’m left handed do I use different parts of my brain? The corpus callosum (the band of axons linking the cortex of both hemispheres in the brain) is larger in southpaws, and a minority of left handers appear to have a more distributed (left and right hemisphere) network for the details of language.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BRAIN MODEL: Building a Brain for Science
LEARN MORE: The brain connection: the corpus callosum is larger in left-handers
LEARN MORE: Left-Handedness and Language Lateralization in Children
Does this mean I’m smarter? Well it means that you, like all of us, have unique aspects of your brain!
Thanks to Noggin Arts Coordinator Jeff Leake we had this beautiful brain puzzle made out of wood to put together! To cut out the regions, he’d used a new Maslow CNC router…
This invited fun questions on basic brain anatomy and the shapes of all the pieces. Once the puzzle was figured out (if only our own brains were that easy) it was taken back apart to paint!!
Volunteers and youth at P;ear gathered around and exercised some self expression on their own piece…
How does the brain get rid of DMT? What areas make imagination? Where is schizophrenia located?
LEARN MORE: Mental Health @ McMenamin’s
This is the first of four planned visits to p:ear this spring. Our awesome Noggin volunteers included Brittany Alperin from OHSU, Jordan Ray, Jade Osilla and Aaron Eisen from Portland State University, and Noggin Resource Council member Joey Seuferling…
One of the youth at p:ear excitedly asked about getting a knife and fork for this great shot..!
This opened up a great conversation (aside from some incredible zombie talk) about prions and why no one should eat nervous tissue (not that we needed much convincing!). It was all in good fun, but the more concerning issue was the delicious smell of chocolate chip cookies that started wafting into the room. When we’re holding live brains it’s a bit counterintuitive to smell fresh baked cookies instead of fixative!
LEARN MORE: Prion Diseases
Another great day with NW Noggin @ p:ear! We are looking forward to visiting again for additional Tuesdays!
