NW Noggin would not exist without these folks!  They tirelessly offer their creativity, engagement, time and support to art and neuroscience education in our community.

We’d like to recognize them as members of the NW Noggin Resource Council.

KANANI MIYAMOTO
Resource Council member for arts integration

Carrie Ann Kanani Miyamoto holds an MFA in Print Media from the Pacific Northwest College of Art, and a bachelors degree in Art Practices from Portland State University. Miyamoto is a passionate printmaker and has had an education rooted in the traditional practices of printmaking. Her studio practice has recently expanded to non-traditional forms of printmaking including mixed media original prints, sculpture, installation, and animation. Her current work is inspired by her personal experiences as an individual of mixed heritage as well as life growing up in Honolulu. Issues of cultural and personal identity have been a major them in her work. She is originally from Honolulu, Hawai`i and is currently lives in Portland, Oregon.

Additionally, Miyamoto loves collaborations of all kind and is supportive of community based art. She is an advocate for art education and the integration of art in public schools. She also works with RACC’s Right Brain Initiative and NW Noggin’s STEAM program as a teaching artist. Both organizations focused on integrating art education with standard curriculum, with the shared belief that cognitive, creative learning fosters productive, divergent thinkers. Miyamoto believes that our society is in need of creative thinkers and providing quality arts based education will enrich the world we live in.

AARON EISEN
Resource Council member for communications

Aaron is a recent honors graduate from Portland State University and a graduate student at the National University of Natural Medicine. He is researching integrative medicine in a clinical setting to see how both conventional and alternative forms of medicine can help those suffering from substance use disorders. He is working to obtain knowledge in both research methodology and statistical analysis. He is a research assistant at Oregon Health & Science University in both the Developmental Brain Imaging Lab and the School of Nursing. In addition, Aaron works in-clinic at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in the (CDC) National Spina Bifida Patient Registry. He has presented research at various venues, including the Society for Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University, and the Portland Psychedelic Society. Although Aaron is focusing his effort towards research, he is exceptionally passionate about teaching people of all ages. Aaron’s motivation and enthusiasm to share education and resources with the community led him to serve as the Outreach Coordinator for the Portland State University Neuroscience Club and to be a devoted Communications Director for NW Noggin.

LEARN MORE: Aaron_Eisen_Curriculum_Vitae

NATALIE ROBISON
Resource Council member for Portland State University

Born and raised in rural Oregon, Natalie is a senior honors student at Portland State University, majoring in Biology and minoring in Interdisciplinary Neuroscience. She participated in the BUILD EXITO program until Fall 2023, when she became a U-RISE scholar. Natalie is currently a Science Officer with the PSU Neuroscience Club and a research assistant at the PSU Child Language Learning Center, probing the mechanisms of bilingual attrition– the loss of one language in favor of another. She is also a tutor and a teaching assistant, a passion born of her own educational experiences; experiences which indicated a need for advocates who support intersectional deviations from the cookie-cutter formula for success. Natalie is pursuing a career in neuroscience research, probing the neural basis of consciousness and how it may be impacted by one’s material conditions.

LEARN MORE: NRobison_Curriculum_Vitae

KADI RAE SMITH
Resource Council Member for Neurodiverse Accessibility and Student Leadership Programs

Kadi Rae (They/Them) is an undergraduate student studying Neuroscience, Social Science and Psychology in the Portland State University Honors College, focussing on mental health management within the neurodiverse population through neuroscience educational interventions. Kadi Rae is the Neuroscience Club Vice President at PSU, and a musician and visual artist with a passion for making art (and music) out of garbage. They also love contributing to community outreach and neuroscience education in public schools, youth shelters, and correctional facilities, and studying the braiiiiin! They are a first generation college student, a McNair Scholar, a NASA Space Grant Consortium STARR Scholar, and a student leader of the PSU Disability Resource Center’s Neurodiversity Affinity Group.

LEARN MORE: KRS_Micro CV

NOAH MILMAN
Resource Council Member for OHSU Connection

Noah Milman is a 3rd year graduate student in the Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience Program at Oregon Health & Sciences University (OHSU). He is studying the contribution of early-life sleep and sensory experience on the development of social behavior. He is passionate about teaching about the neurobiology of development and fascinating tools and techniques in the field of neuroscience. He is interested in how research can inform early-life advocacy and interventions. Through guest-lecturing opportunities at Portland State University and time with NWNoggin, Noah is thrilled to contributed as a resource council member for those interested or already involved in research at OHSU. He is happy to assist one-on-one with cover letters, drafting emails to faculty members and informally advising students on their research path. His email address is milman at ohsu dot edu. Feel free to reach out.

LEARN MORE: NoahMilman_CV_Apr2024

ALLONTE BARAKAT
Resource Council Member for Podcasting and Performance

Allonté Barakat is a graduate of Portland State University, who has majored in Liberal Studies and minored in Interdisciplinary Neuroscience. Allonté has been a computer scientist for over 10 years and a voice actor for over 5 years. Being half-artist and half-technical – the interdisciplinary nature of psychology, computer science, human-computer interaction, AI, and neuroscience has fueled the inquiry of what it means to be conscious.  While combining art, outreach, and story-telling has arisen the question: “How can we help each other understand?” Veteran of the actual playing TTRPG scene, Allonté has first-hand knowledge of the power of discovering your voice and the effect that voice can have on resonating with the core of someone else.

JOEY SEUFERLING
Resource Council member for hospital/health care outreach

Joseph Seuferling is a Neuroscience graduate of WSU Vancouver. He’s now heading to the University of Washington medical school! His goal is to emphasize to youth the importance of the brain as part of one’s health and well-being through NW Noggin outreach; a healthy mind makes a healthy body. Without the complexity of the human brain the universe would be an incomprehensible phenomenon, and the wonder and curiosity that exists today would be lost among us. The obscurity and mystery of one’s “self” facilitates the controversial exploration of human consciousness. How does the brain perceive the universe, with its surfeit of knowledge and sensation? Why are things the way they are? These questions are those that youth contemplate each day of their lives, and if the younger generation does not question everything, who will have the drive to find the answers? I hope to motivate younger minds to believe they can use their brains and creativity to improve the community, especially in areas such as health care.

“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in”

JORDAN RAY
Resource Council member for public access technology

Tsar of tinkering and grandmaster of gadgetry, Jordan Ray has been committed to making electrophysiology devices found in the lab accessible to members of the community through Noggin. First starting with DIY Electrocardiogram (ECG) and Electodermal Activity (EDA) machines, Jordan found that like himself, kids love being able to assemble the devices and explore the electrical world living inside their own bodies. Now working with fabulous open source electroencephalography (EEG) devices, Jordan leads exploration of the brain at our visits and believes that kids (and grown up kids too!) in all communities, everywhere, should be empowered to conduct science. Jordan is currently prototyping an Arduino-based DIY electrophysiology kit so that kids in the classroom can keep conducting science all year long! Rad!

Jordan is now a sheep farmer in eastern Oregon! When not helping kids hook up their classroom peers at Noggin, you can find Jordan collecting electrophysiology data in sleep and meditation studies at home, in the wilderness, on moto-trips, and beyond! Jordan firmly believes that life is indeed better on two wheels, and is a devout motorcyclist. Check him out on instagram to follow all his kooky adventures.

JADE OSILLA
Resource Council member for Social Service and Prevention Outreach

After Jade lost a coworker to suicide and struggled with mental health herself, she began to volunteer on the crisis lines in 2017. She accepted the position of Assistant Director of Prevention Programs in July 2019 at Lines for Life. She has a B.S. Earth Science from Portland State University, finished a post-baccalaureate B.S. Psychology with a neuroscience emphasis, and attended graduate Applied Behavior Analysis classes from the Oregon Institute of Technology. Besides volunteering on the crisis lines, Jade also does neuroscience education-outreach with NW Noggin and is a Trauma Intervention Program (TIP) volunteer.

She believes “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” and works to cover resource and information gaps internally in her agency as well as externally in the community. Jade aids the prevention department in moving forward with state-funded substance abuse and suicide harm reduction strategies, such as the Suicide Rapid Response and organizing the inaugural Oregon Veteran and Military Suicide Prevention Conference. She holds Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) workshops to increase the number of people in the community who are equipped with suicide first-aid skills. In particular, Jade has been drawn to neuroanatomy because she believes understanding the brain can be helpful to individuals who are tackling almost any emotional or physical issue. Many individuals thinking about suicide do not believe that their situations or they themselves can change, though neuroscience has evidenced neuroplasticity and the brain’s ability to create new pathways regardless of an individual’s age. It is important for her to be a representative and model to younger female minorities, and one of Jade’s goals at NW Noggin is to send the message that having a mental health disorder does not stop someone from being successful.

LIDIA ECHEVERRIA-GARCIA
Resource Council Member for Multilingual Education and Spanish-English Resources

Lidia earned her bachelors in Speech and Hearing Sciences at Portland State University, and is now a graduate student at the University of Oregon for Speech-Language Pathology and Project INICIO. She specializes in Spanish-English bilingualism and is conducting research on phonological differences between early and late Spanish-English bilingual adults.

Through NW Noggin, she helps educate others about the benefits of bilingualism in the brain, how damage to the brain is presented within bilinguals, and advocates for the learning of a new language! She also helps NW Noggin provide handouts and materials in Spanish to extend outreach to the Spanish speaking community or to those who would like to experience neuroscience and art in Spanish.

JAMIE SAUL
Resource Council member for legal advice

Jamie Saul serves as pro bono legal advisor for Northwest Noggin and has assisted us with the formation of Northwest Noggin, Inc. and other matters related to nonprofit corporate governance.

Jamie is an Assistant Clinical Professor Law at Lewis & Clark Law School and a staff attorney at the Earthrise Law Center, Lewis & Clark’s environmental litigation clinic. Jamie co-teaches a weekly clinical seminar and, with the help of Earthrise students, represents clients in public-interest environmental cases in state and federal courts, focusing on clean air, clean water, and solid waste litigation. Jamie holds a B.S. from the College of William & Mary and a J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School. He lives in Portland with his wife Alex DeLucenay and daughters Kate and Charlotte.

PAST RESOURCE COUNCIL MEMBERS

CARLI COX
Resource Council member for Portland State University

Carli is an undergraduate student in the Portland State University Honors College working towards a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She is on track to graduate in spring of 2021 and will spend this year working on completing her senior thesis and a year-long internship as a Rosenbaum Service Leadership Scholar. Her internship gave her the opportunity to partner with a local non-profit organization, so naturally her love for neuroscience, art, and community led her right to NW Noggin.

Carli will be taking the lead on this year’s NogginFest planning and execution. She will be working closely with a team of dedicated Noggin volunteers to bring the community together in this celebration of science, art, and music. She will also be applying for a selective grant from the Dana Foundation on behalf of NW Noggin to help with this year’s budget, among other projects. Carli is looking forward to working closely with the Noggin board members to learn the ins and outs of running a nonprofit organization in service to the community.

JACOB SCHOEN
Resource Council member for the Oregon National Primate Research Center
Official preparator for museum exhibits

Jacob Schoen engages students with his fire for Neuroscience! His role is to connect Portland State University students with NW Noggin outreach. Jacob serves as President of the PSU Psychology Club, Teaching Assistant for Neuroscience classes, and Psychology Department Academic Peer Advisor. His lab experience and interests include the psychological, physiological, and neurological basis of addiction. Jacob also has an artistic side—he has installed Neuroscience art exhibits at several institutions including The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC and is the official art handler and preparator for NW Noggin. As a NW Noggin volunteer, he has wrangled brains, led dissections, and even written and directed plays about the brain. He continues to teach students about the mechanisms and wonders of the brain from dreaming to the effects of cocaine and beyond.

LEARN MORE ABOUT JACOB:  Where are PSU grads finding great jobs?

JESSE HAMLIN
Resource Council member for music

Jesse Hamlin is a student of Psychology at Portland State University, as well as a performing musician, composer, music producer, and event promoter. Since his background stems from both artistic and scientific interests his focus is on collaboration. You may have seen him around Portland, playing in his bands, Shannon Entropy and Internet Beef.

Jesse is currently pursuing his undergraduate thesis on the effects of visual arts, music, and practical/trade educational supplementation on inspiration and engagement towards STEM outcomes. Additionally, he works as a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) technician applying magnetic stimulation to the dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex of subjects with major depression.

Jesse created NWNoggin’s 1st annual capstone event: Noggin Fest. Noggin Fest is the supreme collaboration of artists, scientists, and musicians in the Northwest and is being held as a fundraiser to help NWNoggin bring the brains back to D.C.

SULEMA RODRIGUEZ
Former Resource Council Member for NIH BUILD EXITO outreach

Sulema Rodriguez is a sophomore at Portland State University, double-majoring in Psychology and Speech and Hearing Sciences. Her interests lie in speech disorders, specifically stuttering. As a stutterer herself, since the age of 6, she has been inspired to find out more about this disorder. Both her uncle and grandma stutter as well. These experiences have fueled her curiosity surrounding the genetic and neurological processes linked to stuttering. She is fascinated by the complexities of the brain and believes that it holds the answer to understanding its cause. This can hopefully lead to improved methods of treatment and a cure. Sulema is also a BUILD EXITO scholar, which is an NIH-funded grant that helps students participate in undergraduate research and prepares them for careers in research. In addition, she volunteers with NW Noggin and loves being able to combine art and neuroscience; having the ability to understand the functions of one’s brain at a young age is very empowering. Sulema also enjoys being a part of Portland’s chapter of the National Stuttering Association, where stutterers, parents of stutterers and Speech-Language pathologists come together to talk about their experiences. She believes that through education and further research, the social stigma surrounding stuttering can be shut down and stutterers everywhere can have a voice.

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
-Winston Churchill

BINYAM NARDOS
Former Resource Council member for OHSU

I was born and raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Upon finishing high-school at the International Community School in Addis Ababa, I came to the U.S. to pursue my undergraduate education. My expectations to see tall sky-scrapers and bright lights were soon to be met when I arrived at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA. Among other things, Lancaster is famed for its large Amish community, and wasn’t exactly the Times Square I had expected. While at Franklin & Marshall, I studied economics and computer science. Following a year of internships and odd-jobs, I began working as a research technician at Washington University in Saint Louis for two labs. One of the labs conducted developmental cognitive neuroscientific research on children with Phenylketonuria, and the other on patients with different types of Aphasias resulting from ischemic strokes. The research experience soon began building my interest in the sciences, which I complemented by taking formal undergraduate science courses after work. A little over two years later, I applied and got accepted to the Washington University graduate program in Neuroscience. I conducted my dissertation research with Dr. Bradley Schlaggar investigating how the young adult human brain learns, stores, and instantiates the meaning of words using a novel word learning paradigm.

I recently defended my thesis and have since been working as a postdoctoral researcher with Dr. Damien Fair at Oregon Health and Science University. As a postdoc, I am continuing to do neuroscience research in a project that is funded by the MacArthur Foundation to explore neuroscience applications to criminal law. In particular, we are conducting developmental cognitive neuroscience research to address what we feel are important considerations that should be made in the domain of criminal law vis-à-vis the developmental brain maturity of juvenile delinquents, similar to how mental health is taken into consideration in adult criminal courts. The other segment of my tenure as a post-doc is to serve as a director of the diversity outreach program in the Fair Neuroimaging Lab, namely the Youth Engaged in Science (YES!) initiative. YES! was created to address educational and health disparities in underrepresented minority communities. We offer enriching science educational programs to middle- and high-school students. We also offer information and resources for families on mental health disorders and the importance of community participation in research and clinical studies.

KAYLA TOWNSLEY
Former Resource Council member for STEAM Assessment

Kayla Townsley is a senior at Portland State University majoring in micro/molecular biology and double-minoring in chemistry and art practices, with a focus on drawing and painting. She is currently engaged in research in Dr. Angela Ozburn’s lab at the Portland VA Medical Center where she examines the neuro-molecular mechanisms that underlie addiction, as well as those that mediate circadian gene effects on drug and mood-related disorders. Her future research interests include examining the relationship between epigenetics, brain plasticity, and mood disorders, hoping to focus specifically on the comorbidity between substance abuse disorders and affective disorders.

However, as both an artist and scientist, Kayla’s main passions lie in celebrating the intersections between art and science; a topic she explored in her Honor’s thesis: From STEM to STEAM: The Neuroscience Behind the Movement Towards Arts Integration in K-12 Curricula. She believes working with NW Noggin, and organizations like it, will catalyze the progressive movement towards a STEAM (Science, Technology, Arts, and Mathematics) focused educational system, and in turn, help alleviate certain socio-economic disparities as well as better mirror the trans-disciplinary nature of our society.

ERIN MCCONNELL
Former Resource Council member for Program Evaluation and Feedback

Erin is a graduate student of Applied Community Psychology at Portland State University. She is passionate about bringing creative and engaging educational opportunities to a wide and diverse student population in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Erin is excited to help NW Noggin in our goal of continually improving and adapting in order to better serve the needs of the individuals and communities we meet. In her free time Erin likes to attend chili cook-offs, and to combine hiking and biking with geocaching.

IRIS GUTIERREZ
Former Resource Council member for WSU Vancouver

My name is Iris Gutierrez. I’m a junior at Washington State University, and I am enrolled in the Neuroscience program, and I hope to get a minor in Spanish as well as Chemistry. I discovered neuroscience because I loved learning about human behavior and ever since then I kept thinking about what happens in our brains and why these things happen. Why do we think the way we do? Why do we experience things like migraines, brain freezes, strokes, mental illness, or even allergies? I have a lot of questions and very few answers so I want to explore the field further and learn as much as I can, although the more answers I find, the more curious I will become! This curiosity and excitement will fuel my future career as a neurosurgeon.

CAM HOWARD
Former Resource Council Member for PSU

Cam is currently an honors student at Portland State University pursuing her BA in Psychology and Social Science as well as a minor in Writing. Her honors thesis is based on her extensive volunteer experience with NW Noggin. She works as a youth cheer coach through a local, public high school, interns at Oregon Health and Science University in an ADHD & Attention Research Lab, and currently holds the position of Club Liaison with Portland State’s Neuroscience Club. She is especially captivated by the neuroscience behind different mental disorders and gender disparities within the field of mental health research. Cam is a firm believer that education is one of the most empowering forces that every single person deserves access to, no matter their gender, race, sexuality, mental health standing, or socioeconomic standing.