A huge thanks to Geof Garner, the President of the National Association of Educational Opportunity Programs (NAEOP), for inviting Northwest Noggin to their annual conference in Boise Idaho!
This was our THIRD conference workshop on interdisciplinary neuroscience outreach for NAEOP, following earlier presentations in Bellevue, Washington and Gleneden Beach, Oregon. For those events we drove our tablecloths, brain models, pipe cleaner photoreceptors and real noggin specimens directly to conference centers and hotels.
This time, however, we arrived by air, pulling a checked suitcase with many items but not, sadly the real brains, which would require more than three ounces of liquid to fly to Idaho :).
LEARN MORE: Threshold through TRIO
LEARN MORE: Moving beyond paywalls and jargon
Noggin @ NAEOP!
We thoroughly enjoyed meeting TRIO representatives and other conference attendees during our session, where we explored the benefits of direct community engagement and arts-integration in STEM (or STEAM). These conferences offer a tremendous opportunity to share the work we do, learn what others are pursuing, and discover new partnerships. We are particularly excited about (potentially!) connecting with communities in Jackson County, Oregon – and Alaska!
Our outreach volunteers (and that’s everyone at Noggin) are thrilled to go places – though for more distant or extended engagement, it’s important to arrange at least some support for travel, housing, art supplies and meals. Rarely can we rely on our own institutions (e.g., Portland State University, OHSU) to contribute to interdisciplinary community education, even when the costs are exceedingly low.
During our Boise workshop we described our collaboration last spring with TRIO Clatsop in Astoria and Knappa, Oregon. Northwest Noggin brought expert graduate and undergraduate volunteers, real brains, multiple art projects and plenty of enthusiasm to public presentations at the Fort George Brewery and local K-12 schools. We spent several days exploring the energy in waves through the expertise of Columbia River bar pilots, cardiologists and neuroscience researchers.
Learn more about our 2023 Oregon collaboration with TRIO at these links!
Signal from Noise on the Oregon Coast
Pre-K, Fish and Logger Lobes!
PRESENTATION SLIDES (pdf): Noggin at NAEOP 10_2023
Thank you TRIO (and Geof!) for supporting our work!
Noggin @ Boise State!
This conference also afforded us a wonderful opportunity to re-connect with a friend and former Noggin participant, Dr. Sydney Boutros, who is now an Assistant Professor in Psychological Science at Boise State University.
Sydney was a graduate student in Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience at OHSU when she collaborated with New/Mixed media artist Kit S. Carlton on a free public presentation combining aspects of both their work.
LEARN MORE: Memory, Poetry, Brains
Sydney organized another talk and workshop for Northwest Noggin after our NAEOP presentation, and we headed down the Boise Greenbelt for a fantastic discussion of interdisciplinary neuroscience and a neuron building afternoon!
MAKE YOUR OWN: Build a Pipe Cleaner Brain Cell
One faculty member told us that Sydney’s innovative interdisciplinary collaboration, and her demonstrated engagement with public education and outreach through Noggin, made her stand out as an applicant for Boise State, and helped her get the job!
Tremendous thanks to Boise State undergraduates, and to Dr. Boutros, Dr. Brian W. Stone, Dr. Iryna Babik, Dr. Kimberly Henderson, Dr. R. Eric Landrum, Dr. Cynthia G. Campbell, Dr. April Masarik and other faculty in Psychological Science who joined us for a fun and compelling afternoon of neuroscience, questions, outreach and art.
