Last week’s brain-baking temperatures gave way to a more traditional Oregon summer day – a few clouds, “sunbreaks” and some welcome morning cool.
Our use of fossil fuels changes climate, and the data could not be more clear. Thankfully the latest IPCC report also identified steps we can take, crucial information for networks of linked brain areas in our frontal lobes (which are essential for making informed social decisions) to consider and act on. Fast.
LEARN MORE: Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis (IPCC)
LEARN MORE: Reasoning, Learning, and Creativity: Frontal Lobe Function and Human Decision-Making
LEARN MORE: The neuroscience of adolescent decision-making
Our Noggin volunteers arrived at the Center for Advanced Learning in Gresham, Oregon, where a free summer program for rising 9th graders in the Gresham-Barlow Public School District was underway.
“JumpStart U 9th grade camp is a part of the 9th Grade Counts work across the county. The goal is to give students a jump start into high school by awarding them .5 credits for completion of the camp. Our recruitment targets students who are at risk of not completing high school for a variety of reasons. Students who participate in this camp not only benefit from the credit but also the connections to high school staff and other students that they will see next year. Career exploration is the tool the camp uses to create engagement and to apply skills the students will need in high school.”
— Liz Maki, Director of Career Pathways, Gresham-Barlow School District
Ninth grade is a critical time of transition for many students – and a critical time for brain development, too. Tremendous growth of new connections (or synapses), between neurons is underway, accompanied by significant pruning back to those most useful in linking perception, cognition and behavior.
Much of this initial synaptogenesis and subsequent pruning takes place in adolescent frontal lobes, as teenagers experience social challenges, triumphs and setbacks, and wire up networks essential for making informed decisions.
LEARN MORE: Maturation of the adolescent brain
LEARN MORE: The Teen Brain: 7 Things to Know (from the National Institutes of Health)
Our dedicated and knowledgeable outreach volunteers included Sarah Holden from the Raber Lab at Oregon Health & Sciences University, Robert Cummings from Colby College, Andrea Rano from the NIH BUILD EXITO program at Portland State University, Alex Heinrich from Psychology at PSU, and Michael Deveney, a well-traveled NW Noggin participant and recent graduate of PSU. We arrived fully vaccinated, outdoors and masked!
LEARN MORE: Effectiveness of Covid-19 Vaccines against the B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant
LEARN MORE: Vaccines work well against the delta variant. Here’s why you should wear a mask anyway
LEARN MORE: COVID-19 Guidance for the Public (NIH)
Our terrific Noggineers, who work in research labs, study neuroscience and psychology as undergraduates and graduate students, serve in hospital settings as medical scribes – were inspiring examples of potential educational and career pathways.
We find that just the opportunity to introduce ourselves makes these “next step” possibilities more real for students, and the questions that follow can help drive developing decision making networks towards consideration of new and exciting futures.
And while our brain specimens have powerful impact, spurring curiosity and engagement, the opportunity to make brain cells, and craft your own new dendrites, cell bodies and axons clearly motivate many and likely inspire some targeted synaptogenesis and pruning as well.
LEARN MORE: MAKE A PIPE CLEANER NEURON
LEARN MORE: Reconnecting our brains, one cell at a time
LEARN MORE: Creativity, brain, and art: biological and neurological considerations
LEARN MORE: The Role of the Visual Arts in Enhancing the Learning Process
LEARN MORE: Your Brain on Art: The Case for Neuroaesthetics
“I believe students will be highly engaged and motivated to learn about their most valuable asset, their brains. To me, this is one of the greatest pieces of this partnership. My other hope is that the volunteers can speak with the students about their own particular career path; why they chose it, what it looks like, how to get into that career…”
— Liz Maki, Director of Career Pathways, Gresham-Barlow School District
We say this often and mean it ❤️
We love this! We learn so much from students, and leave every visit inspired by their questions and creativity and potential. We go entirely as volunteers, eager to hear stories and share them, and learn more about our community and how we might contribute.
LEARN MORE: Honest selves @ Hosford
LEARN MORE: Synapsing in San Diego
Thank you!
Sincere thanks to these rising 9th graders, our dedicated, enthusiastic volunteers and Mack Carlisle (a former Noggin volunteer!), Liz Maki and Sarah Caine from Gresham-Barlow Public Schools! We look forward to returning in the future.
