WHAT: Society for Neuroscience OR/SW WA Chapter Annual Meeting

We did it! More details at the link…

Brains & Sex @ SfN

WHERE: McMenamins Edgefield, 2126 SW Halsey Street, Troutdale, OR

WHEN: Friday, April 12 – Saturday, April 13, 2019

This year’s theme is sex differences in research.

Larry Cahill, Ph.D.
Professor, Neurobiology and Behavior
University of California, Irvine
“Sex influences on brain and body: An issue whose time has come”

Dena Dubal, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Neurology
University of California, San Francisco
“Why do women live longer? Dissecting sex differences in aging and neurodegenerative diseases”

Charles Roselli, Ph.D.
Professor, Physiology & Pharmacology
Oregon Health & Science University
“Nature’s choice: How brain differentiation influences sexual partner preferences”

MEETING SCHEDULE: Oregon/SWW Chapter Meeting 2019

PROGRAM & ABSTRACTS: SFN OR 2019 program

Learn about past Chapter meetings at the links!

Mental health @ McMenamin’s

Myelin @ McMenamin’s!

NOGGIN ABSTRACT!

NW Noggin: Synapses Stories and Song!

GRIESAR, W.S.* ** *** ****, LEAKE, J.* ** ***

Science needs investment and diverse perspectives, and integrating arts in STEM (STEAM) encourages more people to get involved.

Nonprofit NW Noggin (nwnoggin.org) organizes undergraduates and graduates to collaborate, build community networks and inspire people about neuroscience and art. Volunteers benefit from work across disciplines and institutions, serve as “near peer” role models, gain skill explaining research, and think creatively about careers. We’ve met over 30,000 K-12 students since 2012!

There is tremendous need to develop approaches to assist academic priority K-12 students, and offer access to social and economic benefits of education. Students struggle with academic achievement. The dropout rate for Native Americans is particularly high. Oregon has a rich Native culture and history, yet only in 2017 did the Legislature mandate a statewide K-12 curriculum for ‘tribal history,…sovereignty, culture, treaty rights, government, socioeconomic experiences, and current events.’

In 2017 we received a grant from Spirit Mountain Community Fund for outreach with tribal majority schools, aimed at making connections between animal figures in Grande Ronde and Siletz stories and neuroscience research.

In 2018 we engaged over 300 K-12 students through brain research, storytelling, music and art! We spent spring 2018 collaborating with the Oregon Pacific Area Health Education Center (OPAHEC) visiting students, teachers and staff at Siletz Valley Early College Academy, Amity and Willamina High Schools.

In summer, we joined award-winning Native storyteller Esther Stutzman at her annual camp in Curry County, to hear Coos and Kalapuya tales, and discuss relevant brain research.

In fall, Noggin volunteers from Portland State University and OHSU, along with Native storyteller Fish Martinez and puppeteer Ana Mello, spent three days telling stories, answering questions, holding brains, and connecting in classrooms through drumming, music, poetry, research and art!

Intel’s Native American Employees Network (INAN) prepared a “Noggin Brain Box” filled with outreach project instructions, pens, paper, 3D printed brain models, and pipe cleaners for crafting brain cells. OPAHEC and Noggin also brought students to OHSU for a tour of MRI imaging facilities, to expand knowledge of clinical and research career options.

Building excitement and awareness of discoveries, educational options and careers through arts-integrated outreach across institutional, state, federal and generational lines trains new scientists to collaborate, engages more communities, and increases awareness and support for investment in brain research and the arts.

* NW Noggin (nwnoggin.org); ** Department of Psychology, Portland State University; *** Department of University Studies, Portland State University; **** Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University

LEARN MORE: Until the story takes shape

The Portland State University Neuroscience Club is presenting several posters, too, including…

DOWNLOAD: SfN-Chapter-Meeting-Club-Poster

LEARN MORE: How can you change your brain?

Title: K-12 students want to learn about neuroscience!

Authors: Eisen, A., Howard, C., Benefiel, J., Schmidt, J., Chapek, M., Lerner, M., Garduno, R., Uriarte-Lopez, J., Hamilton, H., Kiersarsky, A., Sumrall, L.

Correspondence: aaeisen@pdx.edu, camd@pdx.edu, benefiel@pdx.edu, julis4@pdx.edu, mchapek@pdx.edu, mlerner@pdx.edu, rgarduno@pdx.edu, jru@pdx.edu, ham28@pdx.edu, ak36@pdx.edu, sum5@pdx.edu; Portland State University, P.O. Box 751, Portland, OR 97207-0751

Abstract: The Neuroscience Club at Portland State University actively works to enrich local communities with taxpayer supported neuroscience research. Our members devote their time and effort into bringing education, art, and enthusiasm to our community. A primary focus of our outreach is directed at K-12 public schools with the objective of giving students opportunities to interact with science in ways they might not necessarily have had. We base our outreach on open inquiry and tie in elements of philosophy for children. The students have the opportunity to guide their own learning, which captures their enthusiasm and engagement for the subject. We have found the students maximize their learning when given the opportunity to ask open-ended questions in a supportive and understanding environment, prompting forth questions filled with both complexity and creativity that could baffle even the most experienced neuroscientists. Students engage the world around them and through the exploration of neuroscience, often draw upon personal experience to connect with others and stimulate thought. Through this process they can better understand themselves and the world around them. Students use the medium of art to support their understanding of advanced concepts guided by their own creativity and physical engagement with the content. Students screen-print works of neuronal art and twist pipe cleaner neurons to life, teaching them ways to engage art with science further while enhancing their understanding of the subject in a hands-on fashion. This poster was inspired by questions collected during an outreach event at North Middle School in Grants Pass, OR. These questions are representative of common student inquiries from all our community outreach events. Although the Neuroscience Club initially focused on students, the club has since expanded its reach to include more diverse populations. The Neuroscience Club’s objectives include nourishing the future generation of scientists and artists whilst allowing education to be fun and engaging and have a place to flourish in diverse communities.

Sources: NW NOGGIN: Neuroscience outreach group (growing in networks) – Building networks in the community through neuroscience education and art. (2019). Retrieved April 1, 2019, from https://nwnoggin.org/