NW NOGGIN: Neuroscience outreach group (growing in networks)

Planning session: Noggin training for Latino Network staff
2017-09-12 18:00 - 19:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Velo Cult Bike Shop, 1969 NE 42nd, Portland, OR
Noggin will run a training for staff at the nonprofit Latino Network on Tuesday, October 10th…
The “founder” of modern neuroscience was an artist and anatomist from Spain (Ramon y Cajal of course), and fundamental advances in our understanding of electrophysiology were made in Chile.

Tonight we’ll discuss how we’ll organize and present our upcoming training…

Some ideas from the meeting…

We are preparing a free training for staff and teachers at the Latino Network, a respected local nonprofit that serves to elevate Latino students in Portland public schools, and offer enrichment opportunities. We were thinking about how so many Spanish speaking scientists were fundamentally involved in the development of neuroscience as a field, starting of course with Ramon y Cajal. Letting young Latino kids (and other kids) know about this rich history might encourage them to consider pursuing research into how our brains function to make us who we are, as part of an extraordinary tradition of people just like themselves.

We have a group of young Spanish speaking Noggin outreach volunteers (several from Mexico and Central America, one with family in Spain) who are preparing this training – and they were extremely enthused about welcoming a working scientist or grad student from Chile to join us, too, via Skype. We’d be thrilled to welcome grad students, postdocs and scientists for introductions (en Español) – to talk about CINV and the history of neuroscience research in the Valparaíso region.

We are excited about furthering this connection – perhaps by inviting more Chilean outreach participants from CINV/Ciencia al Tiro to introduce themselves and their research to Portland public school classrooms by Skype later this year. If this works well, we’d like to pursue support to bring volunteers from Chile to Portland, and perhaps send our volunteers to visit schools in Valpo!

COMMITTED PARTICIPANTS
Andrea Anaya, PSU
Sulema Rodriguez, Noggin Resource Council member for PSU/NIH BUILD EXITO
Jessica Patching-Bunch, Noggin Resource Council member for communications
Joey Seuferling, Noggin Resource Council member for healthcare and hospitals
Angela Gonzalez

Drunk Mice on Espresso @ Astoria's Street 14!
2017-09-08 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Street 14 Cafe, 1410 Commercial St, Astoria, OR, 97103, United States
UPDATE: See what we did on Friday!
Noggins in Astoria
Tipsy Mice on Espresso @ Street 14!

WHAT: Drunk Mice on Espresso: The Science of Brains & Brews
WHERE: Street 14 Cafe, 1410 Commercial St, Astoria, OR 97103

WHEN: Friday, September 8, 2017, 2 – 4pm

A Negroni, an Irish coffee, a Red Bull & vodka…
What is it about caffeine and alcohol – how do they change your brain? How do these popular chemicals swirl into your synapses to affect mood, memory and behavior?
Alfredo Zuñiga & Kim Engeln from OHSU discuss the neuroscience and art of alcohol and caffeine!
ALL ages, FREE talk, REAL human brains to examine – & specialty drinks for purchase!

Here We Are podcast: Part 2!
2017-09-06 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Portland State University, Cramer Hall, Room 317Z, PO Box 751, Portland, OR, 97207-0751, United States
“Here We Are” with NW Noggin!
Another in-depth conversation this afternoon with Shane Mauss, a professional stand-up comedian who produces the popular “Here We Are” science podcast. Each week, Shane speaks with a different scientist about their recent work or area of study, bringing their ideas to the public in a fun and accessible way…

LEARN MORE: Here We Are
This week, artist and educator Jeff Leake joined Bill Griesar and Shane in the NW Noggin office at Portland State University to talk more about mixing art and education with neuroscience and embodied cognition…
Noggins + Education
This week’s guest: Bill Griesar and Jeff Leake | Charity of the week: NW Noggin

"Here We Are" with NW Noggin!
2017-08-30 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Portland State University, Cramer Hall, Room 317Z, PO Box 751, Portland, OR, 97207-0751, United States
Great conversation this morning with Shane Mauss, a professional stand-up comedian who produces the popular “Here We Are” science podcast. Each week, Shane speaks with a different scientist about their recent work or area of study, bringing their ideas to the public in a fun and accessible way…

LEARN MORE: Here We Are
Today Shane held a brain, examined pipe cleaner photoreceptors, and together we co-hosted and planned a second conversation (potentially next week) with Noggin Art Coordinator Jeff Leake. We also considered the following question…

What do you wish everyone in the world knew about neuroscience (or anything in general really)?! What are the top things about the brain & behavior that captivate you – and your students?

I put this query to our accomplished Noggin Resource Council members, and here are their thoughts…
Jessica Patching-Bunch: I love the ability we have to rewire and create neuro pathways. I think that it is important that people know that at any given time (though it’s not always easy!) they can choose to create different habits, thoughts and daily practices that help their brain to change and grow which in turn helps them in their daily life.

Brianna Jacobs: That neuroscience isn’t isolated to academia and clinicians; that it’s something that can be accessible to children, and those of all educational backgrounds. We all strive to know what makes us human, what drives our needs and desires, what makes us similar and different.

Sulema Rodriguez: I wish that people knew that neuroscience is not something that can only be learned by a few elite. Once you start to learn about neuroscience your world view changes. You begin to understand that these neuronal connections are what make up who you are. It’s honestly pretty amazing.

Ruth Marigomen: I wish everyone knew that studying neuroscience is a form of introspection. With every single discovery we make about the inner workings of the brain, we are not only answering pertinent scientific questions—we are also addressing our long-time question of “What make us human?” I must say that before I entered the field, I had a lot of these philosophical questions: inquiries I thought would be hushed by the austere, more tangible answers I would get as I learn about the brain. I thought that neuroscience would enlighten me about concepts like perspective, memory, and behavior, and oh, was I wrong. The more I studied it, the more I felt ignorant. The more concepts I dove into, the more philosophical inquiries I have triggered: “Are our emotions nothing but a surge of a cocktail of neurotransmitters?” “Are our cherished memories not as real and accurate we thought?” The enthralling questions abundant in the field of neuroscience can trigger the intrinsic queries we have about ourselves as humans. And those are the questions worth asking anyway.

Christina Williams: So, first of all I wish everyone knew that the 10 percent myth, is exactly that, a myth! It’s surprising how many people truly believe this. I think Hollywood is largely to blame. Hence movies like limitless, and that hideous movie Lucy! Ugh! I shudder just thinking of it! Yuck! The second thing I wish we could all know about neuroscience, is the nature of consciousness. If it’s the sum of all parts of the brains inner workings, or if it’s the result of certain structures or functions of the brain. I’ve heard many theories and some too wild to consider. But I’m sure this is a piece of neuroscience knowledge that everyone in the world would want to know. Also: What is the nature of brain death? As someone who has been involved in the medical field for over a decade, I am quite familiar with all the facets of code blue, and the situations where people are clinically dead for extended periods of time before being resuscitated. I once saw I women be brought back after nearly 15 minutes with no measurable vital signs whatsoever! It was truly astonishing! However, in a more recent incident at my last job, I had a patient who coded while I stood there, and even after several of us performed CPR, and the medics came and used the paddles, he was gone. What determines that moment, when and where in the brain is this spark held. What is the neurological, or neurophysiological nature of this electrical signal and what determines its on off function?

Joey Seuferling: Neuroscience is a field with so much left to discover, and the idea that our brain allows us to experience a world full of excitement and wonder is very special. Our brain is who we are!

Noggin @ Camp Monkey!
2017-08-04 10:00 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | ONPRC, 505 NW 185th Avenue, Beaverton, OR, 97006-3448, United States
WHAT: Noggin @ Primate Center Camp Monkey
WHERE: Oregon National Primate Research Center, 505 NW 185th Avenue, Beaverton, OR 97006-3448 (email contacts below for details on how to reach the ONPRC)
WHEN: Friday, August 4, 10:00am – 12:30am
Help introduce brains to K-12 student participants in OHSU ONPRC’s annual Camp Monkey…

Please contact Jeff Leake (aspragus@yahoo.com) and Jacob Schoen (jschoen@pdx.edu) if you can join us!

Mad Pursuit: Exploring Science through the Lens of Art
2017-07-29 18:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Ford Gallery, 2505 SE 11th Ave, Portland, OR, 97202, United States
WHAT: A Sci-Art group exhibition curated by Sara McCormick, featuring NW artists:
Kindra Crick
Julian Voss Andreae
Elise Wagner
Lawrence Morrell
Sienna Morris
Opening Reception: PLUS live performance (with brainwave display!) from Shannon Entropy!
WHERE: Ford Gallery, 2505 SE 11th Avenue, Portland, OR 97202
WHEN: SATURDAY, July 29 from 6 PM – 9 PM (and beyond…)
UPDATE: See what we did!
Awe, amazement & delight

Come join us!
Celebrated artist Sara McCormick presented her extraordinary fractal images at a NW Noggin Velo Cult event last fall…

LEARN MORE: Is Your Brain Fractal?
And both Sienna Morris and Noggin Brain Board member Kindra Crick have engaged in public #sciart outreach at Velo Cult as well…

LEARN MORE: Your brain is plastic @ Velo!

LEARN MORE: Changing Brain Waves of Depression
The gallery show will be accompanied by a live performance (starting at 8:00pm) of the band Shannon Entropy, while EEG brainwaves are recorded from listeners and displayed on screen!

LEARN MORE: EPSPs & Entropy!
How does brain activity change in response to music? What patterns can you see?

And (shhh…) there may be an after-party (with limited space for guests) for a science/art salon, real (extra!) human brains and more music and EEG in The Mechanical, in the basement of the Ford, following the show…

LEARN MORE: Last Saturday Salon: Your Brain On Mechanical

Noggin @ OHSU/PSU SAIL!
2017-07-20 10:30 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | OHSU, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, OR, 97239-3098, United States
Noggin is running a session for SAIL (the Summer Academy to Inspire Learning).
UPDATE: See what we did!
Synapsing with Summer @ SAIL!

The mission of SAIL at Portland State University and the Fair Imaging lab at OHSU is to encourage under-privileged middle and high school students to pursue higher education. The values that guide this mission include “interdisciplinary education, community outreach, and socially responsible attitudes” – all values that we share!
WHAT: Noggin outreach at OHSU/PSU Summer Academy to Inspire Learning
WHERE: Meet at the fountain outside MacKenzie (Mac) Hall, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland OR 97239-3098
WHEN: Thursday, July 20, 10:30am – 12:30pm

We’ll bring brains and art projects for two hours of questions and exploration. Lunch included!
We’ll begin by introducing ourselves and what we study and research. What interests you about the brain? How did you get involved in learning more? What have you discovered about university and graduate education that you wish you’d known about in high school?

We’ll then examine some real human brains up close, and offer students the chance to ask questions of their own! We’ll also make our own neuron prints using gels and found natural materials, including grasses, mosses, flowers and twigs…

Please join us! RSVP to Bill Griesar (griesar@pdx.edu) and Jeff Leake (aspragus@yahoo.com)…
LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
Travis Christian, PSU
Alison Mack, PSU
Jessica Patching-Bunch, PSU
Gaile Parker, PSU
Christina Williams, Noggin Resource Council member
Heather Hamilton, PSU/NIH BUILD EXITO
Jennifer Jensen, PSU
Joey Seuferling, Noggin Resource Council member
Firas Saad, PSU
Rebekah Hough, PSU
Jordan Ray, PSU
Aliese Poole, PSU
Ian Anderson, PSU
Leota Wolford, PSU
Denesa Oberbeck, OHSU
John Mootz, OHSU

Planning session for #brains2DC!
2017-07-19 12:30 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Delta Cafe, 4607 SE Woodstock Blvd., Portland, OR, 97206, United States
WHAT: Meet to start planning #brains2DC
WHERE: Delta Cafe, 4607 SE Woodstock Blvd., Portland, Oregon 97206
WHEN: Wednesday, July 19th, 12:30 – 2:00pm
The purpose of the meet up is to discuss travel plans for DC. We can start talking about group AirBnB’s, room sharing, and money saving ideas. Group planning can be a bit difficult, but it can also save us a lot of money and stress, so it will be worth it. Anyone planning to be in DC in November is welcome to join us. This could also serve as a good time to talk about Noggin Fest progress, as well as poster plans between the ten of us that submitted the outreach abstract for SfN…

Please contact Christina Williams (honey8bee6@hotmail.com) to confirm & cheers!

Noggin @ Lane Middle School
2017-07-19 09:30 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Lane School, 7200 SE 60th Ave, Portland, 97206, United States
Noggin is invited to introduce brains and art to about forty entering 9th grade Portland Public School students enrolled in the free Schools Uniting Neighborhoods (SUN) program at Lane School this summer!

UPDATE: See what we did with Franklin SUN!
Cellphones & Receptors at Franklin SUN

WHAT: Visit to Franklin SUN Program (~ 40, 1st – 6th grade students)
WHERE: Lane School, 7200 SE 60th Ave, Portland OR 97206
WHEN: Wednesday, July 19, 2017; 9:30am – 12:00pm

We’ll begin with introductions, build pipe cleaner neurons, and examine some brains (including two NEW brains donated by Medcure!)
Please join us! You must RSVP to griesar@pdx.edu and aspragus@yahoo.com…
LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
Scott Jones, OHSU
Rebecca Hood, OHSU
Heather Hamilton, PSU/NIH BUILD EXITO/Noggin Resource Council member
Jessica Patching-Bunch, Noggin Resource Council member
Sulema Rodriguez, PSU/NIH BUILD EXITO
Gaile Parker, PSU
Travis Christian, PSU
Alison Mack, PSU
Ruth Marigomen, WSU
Mieya Romine, PSU
Christina Williams, Noggin Resource Council member
Shawna Erickson, PSU
Joey Seuferling, Noggin Resource Council member
Firas Saad, PSU
Rebekah Hough, PSU
Jordan Ray, PSU
Laura Mateo, PSU/NIH BUILD EXITO
Raul Vega, PSU/NIH BUILD EXITO
Aliese Poole, PSU
Adam Bishop, PSU
Jennifer Jensen, PSU

Noggins on T's: Screen printing for #brains2DC!
2017-07-18 17:00 - 19:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Thurman Street Collective, 2384 NW Thurman St, Portland, OR, 97210, United States
WHAT: Screen-printing night to create t-shirts for NogginFest and #brains2DC!
WHERE: Thurman Street Collective, 2384 NW Thurman St, Portland, OR 97210

WHEN: Tuesday, July 18, 5 – 7pm
UPDATE: We made over 100 shirts!!

Come join us! And bring extra shirts 🙂
We’re gathering Tuesday to make shirts to help support our undergraduate volunteers present brains and art this fall in Washington, DC. We’ll meet at the Thurman Street Collective (owned by Noggin Resource Council member Kanani Miyamoto) on Tuesday night in Northwest…
Please RSVP to bgriesar@nwnoggin.org and jleake@pdx.edu – see you Tuesday & cheers!
Confirmed
Andrea Anaya, PSU
Jessica Patching-Bunch, PSU/Noggin Resource Council member
Christina Williams, Noggin Resource Council member
Travis Christian, PSU
Alison Mack, PSU
Gaile Parker, PSU
Heather Hamilton,
Alex Kunz, PSU

Visit to MedCure - and brains!
2017-07-12 08:45 - 09:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | MedCure, 18111 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland, OR, 97230, United States
WHAT: Meet with surgical lab technicians at Medcure/Brain donation
WHERE: Medcure, 18111 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland, OR 97230
WHEN: Wednesday, July 12, 2017, 8:45 – 9:30am
MedCure is an Oregon company that connects people donating their bodies to science with doctors learning to successfully perform surgical procedures, and researchers developing medical devices. It was founded in 2006, and has a state of the art surgical training center on Sandy Boulevard…

LEARN MORE: MedCure expanding in Gresham as whole-body donation business flourishes
NW Noggin requested and was granted two human brains for outreach! We are hugely excited to develop this partnership, and are invited by April Jenkins, the Surgical Courses Operations Manager for MedCure, to visit and meet briefly with their talented and knowledgeable lab technicians on Wednesday, July 12th…

Space is limited, and preference is given to frequent volunteers. This is a great opportunity to ask questions and learn about body donation, anatomy (including neuroanatomy), and potential career opportunities related to science and medical research.
Please RSVP to Bill Griesar (bgriesar@nwnoggin.org) and Jeff Leake (jleake@pdx.edu)
Participants
Christina Williams, Noggin Resource Council member
Leota Wolford, PSU
Sulema Rodriguez, PSU/NIH BUILD EXITO
Aliese Poole, PSU
Jacob Schoen, PSU/Noggin Resource Council member/ONPRC
Travis Christian, PSU
Alison Mack, PSU
John Harkness, Noggin Brain Board member
Kim Engeln, OHSU
Heather Hamilton, PSU/NIH BUILD EXITO
Binyam Nardos, OHSU
Ruth Marigomen, WSUV
Jessica Patching-Bunch, Noggin Resource Council member
Sam Carpenter, OHSU

Noggin Brain Board meeting
2017-07-07 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Great Notions, 2204 NE Alberta St #101, Portland, OR, 97211, United States
The Noggin Brain Board meets @ Great Notions Friday, July 7th @ 7pm!

Lots to discuss: summer plans, fall outreach, Noggin Fest, Homelessness & the Brain, #brains2DC…
New brains from BioGift and Medcure!
Jeff is working on an article (with Bill’s pics) for SciArt magazine…
New pipe cleaner neuron network going up at the Oregon National Primate Research Center..!
Fundraising ideas for outreach
PARC/OHSU support; new emotiv research-grade EEG headsets
Grant submitted: Spirit Mountain Community Foundation (“Synapses & Stories: Coyote, Grizzly and their Brains”; We plan to bring 12 Portland area undergraduates and graduates studying neuroscience and art to the Lincoln County School District in fall or spring (potentially Toledo Elementary and Siletz Valley Charter School) for a series of three, day long visits aimed at making connections between figures in Grande Ronde tribal stories (including Coyote, and Grizzly) and their relevant neuroanatomy)
Bill is donating money he received from the state of Washington after administrators at WSU Vancouver (and other state institutions) intentionally misclassified many of their part-time employees to avoid providing them with basic health care coverage. (More about this settlement here: Moore v. Health Care Authority)
Bill is also donating his John Eliot Allen Outstanding Teaching Award from Portland State University 🙂

Kanani Miyamoto @ p:ear
2017-07-06 17:00 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | P:ear, 338 NW 6th Ave, Portland, OR, 97209, United States
First Thursday Art Show, 7/6

The p:ear gallery is thrilled to announce their June/July 2017 showcase of “place” a new collection of work by Kanani Miyamoto, Jillian Barthold and p:ear youth artists.
This amazing new collection of work engages culture, relationship, space, objects and personal identity and ranges from playful landscapes to dramatic print work. These elements challenge the often mundane and overlooked concept of “Place” and how it plays a pivotal role in who we are and the relationships we have. This collection will be accompanied by print work from p:ear youth.
WHAT: “place” art show
WHERE: p:ear, 338 NW 6th Ave, Portland, OR 97209-3611, United States
WHEN: Thursday, July 6 at 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Homelessness + Brain @ p:ear
2017-06-27 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | P:ear, 338 NW 6th Ave, Portland, OR, 97209, United States
WHAT: “Homelessness & the Brain” sessions @ p:ear
WHERE: p:ear, 338 NW 6th, Portland, OR 97209; http://pearmentor.org
WHEN: Tuesday, June 20 and Tuesday, June 27; 10am – noon
NW Noggin is partnering with p:ear to welcome area graduates and undergraduates studying anxiety, depression, resilience, drug use disorders, employment discrimination, implicit bias, schizophrenia and sleep, along with homeless youth who are writing sleep diaries and creating art and testimony from their own experience, public officials who develop and implement policy, and representatives and clinicians from p:ear and Central City Concern to plan a public “Homelessness and the Brain” event this fall.
We know from our own outreach how transformative art can be in exploring concepts and ideas, and permitting significant, effective expression by academic priority students, those currently under-represented in STEM, and the extraordinary young people we’ve met at p:ear…
UPDATE: See what we did (6/27) at the link..!
Sweetness, Shelter & Savants

See what we did last Tuesday (6/20) at the link…
In an old Tri-Met bus on a landfill…

More details below – please RSVP to griesar@pdx.edu and jleake@pdx.edu if you can join us in June!

Homelessness and the Brain
https://nwnoggin.org/2017/04/29/homelessness-and-the-brain/

P:ear

NW Noggin volunteers LOVE collaborating with this critical community center for services and support for homeless youth. P:ear provides a warm, welcoming, arts-filled educational space in downtown Portland, filled with caring staff and volunteers for young people, many of whom lack access to safe housing.

Noggin Brainwaves @ Shannon Entropy Album Release Show!
2017-06-25 20:00 - 23:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison Street, Portland, OR, 97214, United States
SHANNON ENTROPY
MOOD BEACH, SHEERS, THE WILD WAR
Check out pictures, video and details from the event!
EPSPs & Entropy!

Join NW Noggin and members of the award winning PSU Neuroscience Club as they present live brain activity from listeners to Shannon Entropy, Moodbeach, Sheers and The Wild War at Holocene on June 25th! How does your brain respond to music..?
FACEBOOOK EVENT PAGE
CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS
PRESS KIT

Homelessness + Brain @ p:ear
2017-06-20 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | P:ear, 338 NW 6th Ave, Portland, OR, 97209, United States
WHAT: “Homelessness & the Brain” sessions @ p:ear
WHERE: p:ear, 338 NW 6th, Portland, OR 97209; http://pearmentor.org
WHEN: Tuesday, June 20 and Tuesday, June 27; 10am – noon
UPDATE: See what we did @ p:ear!

NW Noggin is partnering with p:ear to welcome area graduates and undergraduates studying anxiety, depression, resilience, drug use disorders, employment discrimination, implicit bias, schizophrenia and sleep, along with homeless youth who are writing sleep diaries and creating art and testimony from their own experience, public officials who develop and implement policy, and representatives and clinicians from p:ear and Central City Concern to plan a public “Homelessness and the Brain” event this fall.
We know from our own outreach how transformative art can be in exploring concepts and ideas, and permitting significant, effective expression by academic priority students, those currently under-represented in STEM, and the extraordinary young people we’ve met at p:ear…
This opportunity is invite only; however, the formal p:ear training is not a requirement for participation in these two sessions. More details about these efforts below – please RSVP to griesar@pdx.edu and jleake@pdx.edu if you can join us in June!

Homelessness and the Brain
https://nwnoggin.org/2017/04/29/homelessness-and-the-brain/

P:ear

NW Noggin volunteers LOVE collaborating with this critical community center for services and support for homeless youth. P:ear provides a warm, welcoming, arts-filled educational space in downtown Portland, filled with caring staff and volunteers for young people, many of whom lack access to safe housing.

NW Noggin Reddit Science AMA!
2017-06-13 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | OR
Teaching brain science through art for K-12 and the public AMA
WHAT: Noggin Reddit Science AMA
WHEN: Tuesday, June 13, 10:00 – 11:00am
WHERE: Science Outreach AMA

Hi Reddit, we’re Bill Griesar and Jeff Leake, instructors in Psychology at Portland State University and co-founders of the art and science outreach nonprofit nwnoggin.org. We train graduates and undergraduates in neuroscience and art to collaborate, and use art projects to enthuse and inform K-12 students and the public about how our brains work. Ask us anything!

Science needs investment, and engaging young people and the public prepares young scientists to clearly explain exciting and relevant new discoveries, enthuses K-12 students about educational and career possibilities, and builds support for further research. Integrating arts in STEM (an approach known as STEAM) fosters learning, creativity and engagement.

Our outreach volunteers (from Portland State University, Oregon Health & Sciences University and other campuses) have worked with over 14,000 academic priority students since 2012, presenting art projects and research in public schools, museums, homeless youth centers, breweries, theaters, Congress, the Obama White House, and even bike shop pubs! Recently we’ve hit the road to discuss federally funded research on the brain and drugs, anxiety, depression, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, adolescent brain development and other compelling topics in rural communities throughout the inland Northwest. Ask us anything!

Healthy Kids Fair @ Salmon Creek!
2017-06-10 09:30 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center, 2211 NE 139th St, Mount Vista, WA, 98686, United States
UPDATE: We did it! Learn more @ the link!
Lobes @ Legacy: Nourishing Noggins for Healthy Kids!

Please join us!
WHAT: Healthy Kids Fair at Salmon Creek Medical Center
WHERE: Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center, 2211 NE 139th St, Mount Vista WA 98686
WHEN: Saturday, June 10th, 9:30am – 2:00pm
We’ll have brains and brain art projects!
See what we did last year…
Igniting interest with Blaze and Brains!

LIST OF CONFIRMED PARTICIPANTS
1. Joey Seuferling, Noggin Resource Council member for hospitals/health care
2. Gaile Parker, PSU
3. Mary Marigomen, WSU
4. Mallory Huerta
5. Leota Wolford, PSU
6. Jesse Hamlin, PSU
7. Sulema Rodriguez, PSU/NIH BUILD EXITO
8. Christina Williams, Noggin Resource Council member for Instagram
9. Uyen Nguyen, PSU
10. Jessica Patching-Bunch, Noggin Resource Council member for Communications

John Eliot Allen Outstanding Teaching Award ceremony
2017-06-09 15:00 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Smith Ballroom, Portland State University, Smith Center (3rd floor), 1825 SW Broadway, Portland, OR, 97201, United States
WHAT: John Eliot Allen Outstanding Teaching Award ceremony
WHEN: Friday, June 9, 3:00 – 5:00pm (from 3 – 4pm there will be food & drink!)
WHERE: PSU Smith Center Ballroom, third floor
The John Eliot Allen Outstanding Teaching Awards were established in 1998 by Dr. Scott Burns, Professor Emeritus of Geology, to recognize exceptional teaching and leadership in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The awards are named in honor of John Eliot Allen, an outstanding professor who taught for more than 35 years.
LEARN MORE: The John Eliot Allen Outstanding Teaching Awards

Bill Griesar, Neuroscience Coordinator for NW Noggin, received the award this year for teaching in Psychology (he won previously in 2013, 2010 and 2007). At his request, the $500 award check will go to NW Noggin outreach volunteers planning to bring brains and art to DC this fall…
LEARN MORE: #brains2DC!

Noggin Fest Planning @ Velo
2017-06-08 18:00 - 19:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Velo Cult Bike Shop, 1969 NE 42nd, Portland, OR
Music! Bands! Art! Brains! We’re planning the inaugural Noggin Fest 17 for October, to enthuse and inform our community about neuroscience research, and multi-institutional, arts-integrated education and outreach..!
WHAT: Planning for Noggin Fest
WHERE: Velo Cult (where else?), 1969 NE 42nd Ave, Portland, OR 97213
WHEN: Thursday, June 8, 6 – 7:30pm

We’re also building support for #sciart outreach on a national scale with a return to DC this fall…
Learn more at…
#brains2DC!

Noggin @ Ardenwald Elementary
2017-06-06 09:15 - 13:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Ardenwald Elementary, 8950 SE 36th Street, Milwaukie, OR, 97222, United States
NW Noggin has been invited by teacher Sarah Powers to meet with all the second grade students at Ardenwald Elementary in the North Clackamas School District in Milwaukie, Oregon…
UPDATE: See what we did at the link!
Axons @ Ardenwald!

We’ll arrive at ~9:15am to set up our classroom, and meet with three groups of students for 45 minutes each…
Group 1: 10:00-10:45am
Group 2: 11:35am-12:20pm
Group 3: 12:20-1:05pm
We’re currently planning a “brain map” project like the one we just completed at Sitton…

Please RSVP if you can join us: griesar@pdx.edu and jleake@pdx.edu…
LIST OF COMMITTED PARTICIPANTS
1. Gil Brady, PSU
2. Gaile Parker, PSU
3. Uyen Nguyen, PSU
4. Kim Engeln, OHSU
5. Holly D’Andrea, WSU
6. Travis Christian, PSU
7. Alison Mack, PSU
8. Jannea Mantz, Providence Hospital in Vancouver
9. Andrea Anaya, PSU
10. Jennifer Jensen, PSU
11. Shawna Erickson, PSU

First Thursday: "place" @ p:ear!
2017-06-01 17:00 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | P:ear, 338 NW 6th Ave, Portland, OR, 97209, United States
“place” Featuring the art of Kanani Miyamoto, Jillian Barthold and p:ear youth

The p:ear gallery is thrilled to announce their June/July 2017 showcase of “place” a new collection of work by Kanani Miyamoto, Jillian Barthold and p:ear youth artists.
Kanani Miyamoto is the Noggin Resource Council member for arts integration, and is often involved in outreach efforts at p:ear, Velo Cult, and through her current residency at the Right Brain Initiative.
LEARN MORE: The Art & Science of Stress @ Velo

This amazing new collection of work from Portland based artist Kanani Miyamoto and Jillian Barthold engages culture, relationship, space, objects and personal identity and ranges from playful landscapes to dramatic print work. These elements challenge the often mundane and overlooked concept of “Place” and how it plays a pivotal role in who we are and the relationships we have. This collection will be accompanied by print work from p:ear youth.
Also on display in the p:ear gallery in June: THROUGH OUR LENS//PhotoVoice Project Presented by Sisters of the Road
“Through our Lens” – PhotoVoice Project is an update on a project that was originally created in 2005. The original project provided individuals experiencing houselessness with photography classes and black-and-white disposable cameras in order to document their lives in a way that many others never see or consider.
As with all of Sisters’ community organizing work, “Through our Lens” – PhotoVoice Project will serve as a tool to provide a face to houselessness, so that we may decrease the “us” vs. “them” phenomenon that must be overcome in order to work together toward viable solutions. This project gave community members, who are currently unhoused, the opportunity to share their lived experiences through their own lens. It lets the photographs tell their own stories.
Opening Date: June 1st 2017
Opening Time: 5pm – 8pm

Noggin @ Sitton Elementary (1st graders)
2017-05-25 11:00 - 14:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Sitton Elementary, 9930 N Smith St, Portland, 97203, United States
WHAT: Noggin visit to Sitton Elementary
WHEN: Thursday, May 25, 11:00 – 2:30pm
WHERE: Sitton Elementary, 9930 N Smith St, Portland, OR 97203
First grade teachers (including Michele Interian, Kim Condron, Meera-Rosa Edgar, and Natalia Pruessler, and principal Dana Nerenberg) at Sitton Elementary School have been engaging in trauma informed teaching practices this year. They have been educating students about the brain and self regulation…

Noggin will visit Sitton twice this spring (5/11 and 5/25) to talk about neuroscience, and introduce some brain-related art projects (and real brains!) to both students and teachers. In fact, we have several graduate volunteers from OHSU who study emotional regulation in the context of development who are particularly eager to participate…
SEE WHAT WE DID ON TUESDAY, MAY 11…
A Synapse with Sitton

On Thursday, May 25, we’ll meet with 75 first graders in three, 50 minute sessions (about 25 students/session). According to teachers, these students have been studying the amygdala, frontal lobes and hippocampus, and how they interact…

Our volunteers will arrive early to create a brain out of colored paper on the floor, highlighting relevant regions, including cortical lobes, cerebellum, amygdala and hippocampus. We’ll introduce these regions, let kids ask questions, practice some mindful listening while considering how various brain areas interact. How are these different parts of the brain connected? How do they develop? Students can then draw what these different parts of the brain do directly on the paper…

We’ll also examine some real brains…

More about Sitton: Sitton Elementary is located in the St. Johns neighborhood of Portland. We are a school that welcomes and nurtures students and families, creating a close-knit and comfortable community. We strive to use our students’ diverse skills and backgrounds to help them reach their greatest potential as learners, leaders, and as agents of change in our school, community, and world.
Committed volunteers
1. Jennifer Jensen, PSU
2. Rebekah Hough, PSU
3. Alison Mack, PSU
4. Travis Christian, PSU
5. Mikey Smith, PSU
6. Jessica Patching-Bunch, PSU
7. Adam Bishop, PSU
8. Jessica Trottier, PSU
9. Austin Abshire, PSU
10. Ellie Sceeles, PSU
11. Shawna Erickson, PSU

Synaptic Community Connection: La Grande!
2017-05-19 - 2017-05-20 | OR
We’ve been invited by the Northeast Oregon Area Health Education Center to present neuroscience research and related art projects – and real human brains! – in La Grande, Oregon, along the lines of what we did in March in Davenport (details of that experience at the link below)…
UPDATE: We did it! Learn more about brains & art in eastern Oregon at the link below!
Blue Mountain Brains!

Public school students in grades 6 through 12 from La Grande, Nyssa, Cove, Milton-Freewater, Boardman and other eastern Oregon communities will participate! They’ve already thought of some terrific questions to consider: “How can you recharge brain cells? Why is the outside of the brain a different consistency than the inside? How is a dyslexic brain different? At what age does the brain stop growing and developing? Is it a different age for girls versus boys?”
We’ll drive to La Grande on Friday, May 19th, and work with ~100 students on Saturday, May 20th.
Friday, May 19th
Drive to La Grande, Oregon
261 miles from Portland; 4.5 hour drive
STAY: Americas Best Value Sandman Inn

Saturday, May 20th
La Grande High School cafeteria, 708 K Ave, La Grande, OR 97850
7:30am – 11:30am, Outreach with 6th through 12th graders

Dopamine in Davenport!

https://nwnoggin.org/2017/03/20/dopamine-in-davenport/

CONFIRMED PARTICIPANTS
1. Leota Wolford, PSU
2. Joella Deal, PSU
3. Heather Hamilton, PSU (and NIH BUILD EXITO)
4. Joey Seuferling, WSU (and NW Noggin Resource Council, health care)
5. Kirk Wydner, Oregon State University (NW Noggin Resource Council, technology)
6. Alfredo Zuñiga, OHSU
7. Andrea Anaya, PSU
8. Rebecca Hood, OHSU
9. Scott Jones, OHSU
10. Travis Christian, PSU
11. Alison Mack, PSU
12. Brad Dowling, WSU
13. Aliese Poole, PSU
14. Bill Griesar, NW Noggin
15. Jeff Leake, NW Noggin

Velo Cult: Changing Brain Waves of Depression
2017-05-17 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Velo Cult Bike Shop, 1969 NE 42nd, Portland, OR
Changing the Brain Waves of Depression
What do the brain waves of a depressed person look like? How can they be changed?
WHAT: Brittany Alperin & Sienna Morris on “Changing the Brain Waves of Depression”
UPDATE: Powerful and relevant presentation on self-care and depression
Changing Brain Waves of Depression

WHERE: Velo Cult, 1969 NE 42nd Ave, Portland, OR 97213
WHEN: Wednesday, May 17th, 6 – 8pm

Brittany Alperin, a Behavioral Neuroscience graduate student at OHSU, and Sienna Morris, an artist and science enthusiast, will talk about how mindfulness meditation and self-care can not only decrease depressive symptoms, but can also produce measurable change in your brain!

Join us for a discussion of Sienna’s journey through mindfulness practice, take a look at how her depressive symptoms and brain waves changed over time, and see the art that this experience inspired.
NW Noggin Velo Cult events are always free, open to the public, child friendly, and feature access to amazing beer (scroll here for current tap list), wine, coffee, tea, sodas and sandwiches…

Health Fair @ Jefferson High School!
2017-05-17 11:00 - 12:30 UTC | Jefferson High School
WHAT: High School Health Fair
WHERE: Jefferson High School, 5210 N Kerby St., Portland, OR 97217
WHEN: Wednesday, May 17th from 11:15-12:30

Learn more about this event from last year’s visit:
Healthy Gyri @ Jeff!

Please RSVP to griesar@pdx.edu and jleake@pdx.edu – thank you for sharing your knowledge of brain and behavior & cheers!
CONFIRMED PARTICIPANTS
1. Kayla Townsley, PSU/NIH BUILD EXITO
2. Krystal Nguyen, PSU
3. Rebekah Hough, PSU
4. Mary Ruth Marigomen, WSU
5. Michael Perna, PSU
6. Kelly Stromberg, PSU
7. Joey Seuferling, WSU
8. Alfredo Zuniga, OHSU
9. Leota Wolford, PSU
10. Allana Zuccaro, PSU
11. Sulema Rodriguez, PSU/NIH BUILD EXITO

NW Noggin @ MESA Day (PSU)!
2017-05-16 13:30 - 15:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Smith Ballroom, Portland State University, Smith Center (3rd floor), 1825 SW Broadway, Portland, OR, 97201, United States
NW Noggin brought brains and art to the Smith Ballroom at Portland State University!

We joined the NIH BUILD EXITO table to add a few extra sulci and gyri this afternoon..!

Moon Hooch: Music & Brains @ Doug Fir!
2017-05-13 20:00 - 23:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E. Burnside St., Portland, OR, 97214, United States
Moon Hooch performs a second Portland show at the Doug Fir on Saturday, May 13th!

Saxophonist Wenzl McGowen recently joined Noggin at Portland’s Franklin High School for a compelling classroom exploration of brain electrical changes in response to music…
LEARN MORE: Frequencies @ Franklin: Your brain on sax!

Brittany Alperin, a graduate student in Behavioral Neuroscience at OHSU, and Mike Soroka, a Portland roboticist, are continuing to collaborate with Wenzl and Moon Hooch and plan to wire up concertgoers during Saturday’s performance! (We’re considering bringing extra brains, too… 🙂
BUY TICKETS: Moon Hooch @ the Doug Fir May 13

Society for Neuroscience Oregon Chapter meeting 2017
2017-05-12 - 2017-05-13 | McMenamin’s Edgefield, 2126 S.W. Halsey St., Troutdale, OR, 97060, United States
May 12-13, 2017
McMenamins Edgefield Winery

NW Noggin biked towards the Columbia River Gorge to present a new poster..!

The PSU Neuroscience Club prepared a poster as well! The following undergraduates arrived at the chapter meeting this week (several on bikes!): Jessica Trottier, Thomas Madison, Alex Kunz, Justin Taylor, Andrea Anaya, Andrea Valencia, Jacob Schoen, Cody Prouty, Ava Krueger, and Rebekah Hough…

It was an in-depth and informative look at demyelinating diseases, understudied PNS Remak glia, drug addiction, maturation of retina and cortical visual areas, a macaque model of Batten disease, Wallerian degeneration of axons, and a host of additional topics that engaged and inspired…

A little degeneration of pipe cleaner myelin after the ride to McMenamin’s Edgefield above… 🙂

See what we did last year at the link below…
Edgefield EPSPs: Growing in Networks @ SfN!

Noggin 2017 SfN Poster abstract…
NW Noggin: Connecting SfN outreach volunteers and schools in San Diego and DC
GRIESAR, W.S.*, LEAKE, J.*
Science needs investment, and engaging the public explains discoveries and builds support for education and research. Integrating arts in STEM (“STEAM”) fosters engagement. Here we report on efforts to reach K-12 students and the public about brain research at the 2016 Society for Neuroscience conference in San Diego.
NW Noggin (nwnoggin.org) is an education non-profit that organizes graduates, undergraduates, K-12 students, scientists and artists to collaborate, learn from each other, and excite people about brain research through the arts in both formal and informal settings. Our outreach volunteers (from Portland State University, Oregon Health & Sciences University and other Northwest campuses) have worked with over 12,000 academic priority students since 2012, presenting art projects and research in schools, art museums, symphonies, homeless youth centers, breweries, theaters and even bike shop pubs!
In spring 2016, we brought 26 volunteers to Washington DC to present in DC public schools, Congress, the White House, and the Phillips Collection! In October 2016, we were recognized for an “innovative” outreach model by the Obama White House.
In November of 2016, we were invited to offer insights on outreach by the Society for Neuroscience, during their 2016 annual conference in San Diego, California. In addition to participating in productive discussions at SfN, we also contacted San Diego Public Schools, ArtReach (a local arts institution), and the Neuroscience department at UC San Diego to arrange for actual visits by graduate and undergraduate SfN attendees to local public classrooms!
Students at Jefferson and Linda Vista elementary schools learned about neurons, and how dendrites, soma and axons are structured to perform different functions. Students built their own colorful brain cells out of pipe cleaners, and our volunteers brought them back to the SfN conference to create a captivating and compelling display! Many neuroscientists stopped by to discover how their research had inspired young people in the broader community.
After the conference, we returned the vibrant neurons to the schools, and student artists built their own network, along with drawings and text describing what they’d learned about brain research.
Learn more about these efforts, and our plans for the 2017 SfN conference in DC: https://nwnoggin.org/2017/02/28/brains2dc/
Building excitement and awareness of discoveries in neuroscience through arts-integrated outreach across institutional, state, federal and generational lines trains new scientists to collaborate and communicate, and increases awareness and support for further investment in brain research, and the arts.
* Department of Psychology, Portland State University; NW Noggin (nwnoggin.org)
A network grows in San Diego

Myelin Satellite Meeting Speakers
Stephen Back, Oregon Health & Science University
Hyaluronan mediates perinatal myelination failure through a tolerance-like non-inflammatory signaling pathway
Dennis Bourdette, Oregon Health & Science University
A brief history of myelin: From Versalius to the Bunges
Jonah Chan, University of California San Francisco
Do remyelination therapies promote axonal survival and neuronal function after inflammatory demyelination?
Ben Emery, Oregon Health & Science University
More than just insulation? Unraveling the relationship between neural activity and myelination
Stephen Fancy, University of California San Francisco
Oligodendrocyte precursors migrate on the vasculature in the developing and diseased CNS
Meredith Hartley, Oregon Health & Science University
A thyroid hormone-based strategy for treating myelination disorders
Wendy Macklin, University of Colorado
Signaling pathways that regulate CNS myelination
Steve Matsumoto, Oregon Health & Science University
Roles of SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling factors in Schwann cell development and disease
Fred L. Robinson, Oregon Health & Science University
How membrane trafficking regulates myelination
Bill Rooney, Oregon Health & Science University
Mapping brain myelin water with MRI
Larry Sherman, Oregon National Primate Research Center
A dual role for chromatin remodeling factors in oligodendrocyte specification and maturation
Seema Tiwari-Wooduf, University of California Riverside
Novel estrogen receptor-B ligands induce oligodendrocyte survival, differentiation, and remyelination in mouse models of multiple sclerosis
Scott Wong, Oregon National Primate Research Center
Herpes virus associated encephalomyelitis: A non-human primate model of inflammatory demyelination that resembles multiple sclerosis

Noggin @ Sitton Elementary (K)
2017-05-11 11:00 - 14:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Sitton Elementary, 9930 N Smith St, Portland, 97203, United States
WHAT: Noggin visit to Sitton Elementary
WHEN: Thursday, May 11, 11:00 – 2:30pm
WHERE: Sitton Elementary, 9930 N Smith St, Portland, OR 97203
UPDATE: See what we did in St. Johns!
A Synapse with Sitton

Kindergarten and first grade teachers (including Michele Interian, Zulema Valenzuela, Elizabeth Mick, and principal Dana Nerenberg) at Sitton Elementary School have been engaging in trauma informed teaching practices this year. They have been educating students about the brain and self regulation…

Noggin will visit Sitton twice this spring (5/11 and 5/25) to talk about neuroscience, and introduce some brain-related art projects (and real brains!) to both students and teachers. In fact, we have several graduate volunteers from OHSU who study emotional regulation in the context of development who are particularly eager to participate…
On Thursday, May 11, we’ll meet with 75 kindergartners in three, 50 minute sessions (about 25 students/session). According to teachers, these 5 and 6 year olds have been studying “the amygdala, functions of the hemispheres, dendrites, and the cerebrum and cerebellum!” The students, we’re told, have also practiced exercises involving mindful eating and listening…

Our volunteers will arrive early to create a brain out of colored paper on the floor, highlighting relevant regions, including cortical lobes, cerebellum, amygdala and hippocampus. We’ll introduce these regions, let kids ask questions, practice some mindful listening while considering how various brain areas interact. How are these different parts of the brain connected? How do they talk with each other? We’ll discuss our wire-like brain cells, and then make pipe cleaner neurons!

We’ll also examine some real brains…

More about Sitton: Sitton Elementary is located in the St. Johns neighborhood of Portland. We are a school that welcomes and nurtures students and families, creating a close-knit and comfortable community. We strive to use our students’ diverse skills and backgrounds to help them reach their greatest potential as learners, leaders, and as agents of change in our school, community, and world.
Committed volunteers
1. Brittany Alperin, OHSU
2. Scott Jones, OHSU
3. Alison Mack, PSU
4. Travis Christian, PSU
5. Allie Clark, PSU
6. Jessica Patching-Bunch, PSU
7. Jennifer Jensen, PSU
8. Heather Hamilton, PSU/NIH BUILD EXITO
9. Jessica Trottier, PSU
10. Christina Williams, WSU
11. Krystal Nguyen, PSU
12. Alex Kunz, PSU
13. Rebekah Hough, PSU
14. Austin Abshire, PSU
15. Mary Ruth Marigomen, WSU
16. Holly D’Andrea, WSU
17. Adam Bishop, PSU
