Touch is just one of Aristotle’s original “five senses,” but it involves much more than gentle pressure perceived when holding an apple, or tapping a screen. Our “somatosensation” (sensation from the body) encompasses many specific impressions – heat, cold, hair deflection, poke – each dependent on a specific neuronal “micro-machine.” It is also utterly…
“A good place to start in neuroscience is learning the basics of what you have in your own head, then ask questions, and keep asking.” -Jacob Schoen, PSU/NW Noggin How have you connected personally with students through your volunteer work?” There was this one high schooler, we’ll call him Paul. He…
By Joey Seuferling, Resource Council Member for hospital/health care outreach It was a sunny day as I drove to the NW Noggin outreach opportunity of the week, with human brains riding along in the passenger seat of my car. Many Noggin events are early in the morning, but the feeling I have when…
What is a psychopath? What drives a Ted Bundy, or a Diane Downs, to be so cold blooded – and to lie, manipulate, and commit horrific crimes without experiencing remorse? Do the brains of psychopaths differ? Can we identify changes in specific brain regions that might predict or diagnose this condition? How should efforts to understand the biological basis…
What better way to spend Brain Awareness Week than by hitting the open road! We loaded up our cars with Noggin volunteers, pipe cleaners, dissection trays and extra human brains for a dramatic, stormy 700 mile roundtrip Pacific Northwest journey between Portland/Vancouver and Davenport, Washington..! “Brains in the trunk!” Exploring unfamiliar…
We love growing our Noggin networks – they let us offer student volunteers from multiple institutions extraordinary opportunities they might never get if they always sat in separate university classrooms and didn’t directly engage with all the remarkable people and organizations in their own communities! During a rainy start to Brain Awareness Week we…
By Sulema Rodriguez, PSU/NIH BUILD EXITO scholar and NW Noggin Resource Council member This was my first year attending the OHSU OMSI Brain Fair and it was simply amazing! I loved seeing everyone’s presentations and being inspired by everyone’s work… Throughout my time at the Fair, I worked with two…
We were thrilled to return to one of the nation’s largest Brain Fairs on Saturday, to kick off Brain Awareness Week with piles of pipe cleaners, jars of block printing ink, numerous sketch pads, electrodes, Mindflex Duels, “spiker” boxes, real formalin-fixed cerebrums – and almost 30 enthusiastic Noggin volunteers! LEARN MORE: Brain…
We spent our last “Noggin Tuesday” (for this month anyway – we plan to return!) enjoying substantive, absorbing and engaging conversations with the exceptional young people at P:ear, an innovative program that builds positive relationships with homeless and transitional youth through education, art and recreation… DO MORE: Donate to P:ear While…
NW Noggin is honored to be a Brain Awareness Week partner of the Dana Foundation, a leading philanthropic organization that supports brain research through grants, publications, and educational programs. We share their enthusiasm for active outreach, and their commitment to educating the public about the potential of research… LEARN MORE: The Dana Foundation LEARN MORE: Brain Awareness Week…