Post by Louis Sumrall, President, Portland State University Neuroscience Club
This month, we (the PSU Neuro Club + NW Noggin) traveled to San Diego to the enormous convention center to present our own posters, attend symposia on cutting edge neuroscience, talk with the cool schools there about their work, make pipe cleaner neurons, discuss our own outreach, and find more ways to connect with diverse communities to teach about brain research!
Thanks to Roberto Corona from the San Diego Unified School District Office of School Innovations we were also pleased to visit three public schools (Carson and Linda Vista Elementary, and Montgomery Middle School) to show off brains generously donated by the amazing folks at UCSD! The students showed an awesome enthusiasm and were a joy to learn with!
LEARN MORE: Synapsing in San Diego @ SfN!
We got asked lots of questions about how the brain works, what is inside, and how to train your brain to better sleep, decide and think…
One of the most common questions we got asked was about concussion – an injury to the brain caused by impact. The layers surrounding the brain (called the meninges) are filled with a fluid known as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). In a severe impact, this cushion is not able to absorb the shock, and the brain can rock into the skull. The impact often kills neurons, and pressure waves may yank cells from their normal networks as well as sever the axonal axonal wires connecting different regions.
Suffice it to say please wear your helmets!
LEARN MORE: Protecting Noggins @ the Newmark
LEARN MORE: A Bang to the Brain
The talks at the convention center involved tons of amazing topics ranging from the impact of sleep and alcohol on memory formation and reward processing in the striatum, to psychedelics’ impact on the mind!
LEARN MORE: The Striatum: Where Skills and Habits Meet
LEARN MORE: Functional and anatomical characterization of the striosomal system
We crafted many neurons for people at the convention center, and every one of us was stopped frequently to show aspiring neuroscience educators how to create their own wild colorful bundles! I donned the PSU Neuroscience Club cape and a wreath of neurons with a mini-workshop on my back just to show people how to make neurons on the fly.
I was called ‘Captain Noodle’ by a random passerby, and the name just stuck.
We are extremely thankful for the opportunity to present, chat, teach, and learn with all the wonderful folks at the SfN and the schools in the San Diego public school district!
Inspired by – and inspiring – the future brains of brain research…
LEARN MORE: Montgomery, Linda Vista and Carson students get brainy with university neuroscientists
Our trip was made possible by generous donations from local folks and businesses all around the Portland area. The Student Education and Travel (SET) award from Portland State University was a substantial part in making this trip possible! We also had our own fundraising efforts, and made a party out of it..!!
Noggin Fest 2018 was a huge success and an amazingly fun experience!
LEARN MORE: Noggin Fest 2018: The Beauty of the Brain
I want to detail our patrons and contributors, many of whom I have listed here…
Thanks to Funhouse Brewing, PDX UBrew, Cloud Cap games, Avid Cider Company, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Sesame Doughnuts, Voodoo Doughnuts, PSU Bike Hub, Blue Kangaroo Coffee, Deadstock Coffee, Grand Central Bakery, South Park Seafood, Eddie Bauer, Tender Loving Empire, Budd and Finn, Fort George Brewing, Orox Leatherworks, and Biting Duck Press!
A very special thanks to our artists who donated their works to our gallery and auction, Sarah Vitak, Sienna Morris, Jeff Leake, Isis Fisher, Kindra Crick, Katt Sarro, Haley Jensen, Jason Simpson, Merry Jo Carter, Alison Dennis, Samatha Coiner, Mirabai Scholz, Sam Kitzberger, Pilar Pennell, Amy WoelBeast, and Fisher Jones!!
LEARN MORE: SKETCHES FROM NOGGIN FESTIVAL 2018
Our amazing Music acts included Disenchanter, Mouthbreather, Bitches of the Sun, Human Ottoman, Karma Rivera, Internet Beef, Shannon Entropy, Jazz Boyfriends, Super Secret Band, Stargasm, B.R.U.C.E., When We Met, and The Mercury Tree. These bands blew the roof!
And our speakers Michelle Espy from the Los Alamos National Labs, Amber Schwartz and Eric Feczko from OHSU, and Jonathan Horey from Active Recovery TMS, amazed us with their research and dedication to their subjects.
We are awed and impressed with the presenters, and this medium does not do justice to the gratitude with which we offer them – kudos to everyone who joined us for Noggin Fest 2018.
The incomparable Jesse Hamlin, from NW Noggin, PSU Psychology, Shannon Entropy, Internet Beef and Active Recovery TMS was the maestro of all things music, planning, canvassing, promotion, recording, tech, and booking for Noggin Fest.
Jesse and Shannon Entropy at Noggin Fest 2017…
Take a look at his scalp and you might see the relief of wires from a BCI – perhaps explaining his productive creative superpowers.
I’m super thrilled that we worked together to put this event on! Keep on the lookout for Noggin Fest 2019 (this one is going to be even bigger 😎).
Northwest Noggin has been the outreach group to end all other outreach groups (don’t take the phrase literally, we want more outreach!). I have nothing but gratitude for both Bill and Jeff – because of their guidance and mentorship our trip was an awesome experience!
LEARN MORE: Noggin Bloggin
LEARN MORE: NW Noggin GET INVOLVED
Lastly I would like to thank everyone from the Portland State University Neuroscience Club, the hard-working team that organized our fundraiser, all of this trip, and made our public outreach possible. A warm congratulations to Jesse Benefiel, Aaron Eisen, Jonathan Uriarte-Lopez, Heather Hamilton, Mary Lerner, and Albert (better known as Sai) Kiersarsky.
FROM PSU Neuro Club member Mary Lerner: “The work that went into Noggin Fest was well worth the incredible experiences, learning opportunities, and numerous connections we made. We are so grateful that our community made this trip a reality. SfN was my first conference, and I feel like I understand the scientific field and its unique inner-workings on a whole new level. Opportunities to practice networking, ask questions, and obtain resources are abundant at this kind of event. Everyone from the club carried a pipe-cleaner neuron to identify ourselves as being part of the clan, and it proved to be a great conversation-starter! As if enjoying sunny San Diego to represent brain awareness weren’t enough, we also got to visit Linda Vista, Carson & Montgomery schools to show them real animal and human brains, explain neuronal anatomy, make neuron ink prints and build pipe cleaner neurons! We had so much fun answering questions and interacting with the kids. They were so enthusiastic and curious – and props to the middle school classes for being so determined in your pronunciation of ‘synapse’!”
At SfN we had a chance to meet the world leaders in neuroscience and to share our message with many hundreds of friendly people! It was truly a life-changing experience!
At SfN we also learned more about the importance of sleep and rest after strenuous exertion, so I hope you all can take a bit of a breather!
Here’s to brains, and keep networkin’ those noodles!