Noggins @ MLK Elementary Vancouver!
2023-10-24 08:00 - 11:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Martin Luther King Elementary School, 4801 Idaho St, Vancouver, OR, 98661, United States
WHAT: Noggin visit with K-5 students!
We did it! Over 450 students!!

“What happens when you fall and hit your head? What causes brain freeze? What does our brain do with our memories? How did you get those brains? How do we hear voices? How do we make the sounds of speech? Why do zombies eat brains – is it because brains have a lot of healthy fat and protein? Or are they really sweet?”

“Thank you and your team for coming out to King Elementary today! The kids LOVED it! Thank you so much!!” — Amalia Franco, Family Community Resource Coordinator, MLK Elementary

WHERE: Martin Luther King Elementary School, 4801 Idaho St, Vancouver, WA 98661
WHEN: Tuesday, October 24, 2023, 8:00am – 11:30am
Going back to elementary school with extra noggins and art!

SOME MLK STUDENT QUESTIONS FROM 2022
When does a rotting brain start making an odor?
How does the brain function?
How do we remember?
How do you get the brains?
When you body moves is there some attachments that make your body move?
What if you have an artificial brain?
Are the 3D printed brains also real, or from real people?
How long have you been studying the brain?
When did you know you wanted to study brain?
Do ants have brains?
Are there animals that don’t have brains?
How does the spinal cord work?
Is it normal to get dizzy?
So I’m thinking that maybe we are like robots – but also not robots?
Are those animal brains real?
What is your brain made out of?
How do you remember?
How do you get headaches?
Can what my brain is doing now as a kid affect what my own kids’ brains might do in the future?
Does what happened to my mom in her life before I was born affect how my brain works today?
What is consciousness – like, in the brain? What’s happening in my brain when I really see you now?
COMMITTED PARTICIPANTS
1. Bill Griesar, NW Noggin/PSU/OHSU
2. Jeff Leake, NW Noggin/PSU
3. Alexandria Bills, PSU
4. Jacob Boynton, PSU
5. Rebecca Chevrel, PSU
6. Abubakar Nur, PSU
7. Dan Jang, PSU
8. Kasey Judd, PSU
9. Alex Heinrich, PSU
10. Jadyn Harris, PSU
See what we did the last time we visited MLK!
Enamored by Neuroscience!

Noggin + p:ear!
2023-10-26 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | P:ear, 338 NW 6th Ave, Portland, OR, 97209, United States
WHAT: Noggin @ p:ear!
We did it!

WHERE: p:ear, 338 NW 6th Ave., Portland, OR 97209
WHEN: Thursday, October 26, 2023, 10:00am – noon
Contacts: Jessica Kain, Education Coordinator; Kanani Miyamoto, Art Coordinator

NOTE: Noggin is visiting p:ear on October 3, October 26, and November 30!
Noggin is returning to P:ear, a remarkable Portland nonprofit aimed at building positive relationships with homeless and transitional youth through education, art and recreation to affirm their personal worth and help them create more meaningful and healthier lives. We’ll be exploring art projects and research related to dehumanized perception and how to overcome it and improve our world throughout this fall, winter and spring.

LEARN MORE: Seeing us all through research & art
LEARN MORE: Dehumanizing the lowest of the low: neuroimaging responses to extreme out-groups
We are excited to communicate science through the extraordinary volunteer efforts of our talented graduate and undergraduate Noggin participants from Portland State University, Oregon Health & Science University, the Pacific Northwest College of Art, and other collaborators!
Learning about brains and behavior, and genuine, evidence-based structural and functional aspects of who we are is powerful and actionable information for everyone, including those who are experiencing anxiety, depression, drug use disorders, bias, chronic stress, insomnia – as well as poverty, isolation, racism, homophobia, inequality, Supreme Court corruption and our region’s extreme lack of affordable housing.

LEARN MORE: Noggin @ p:ear
Come join us!
Please RSVP to griesar@pdx.edu and jleake@pdx.edu
COMMITTED PARTICIPANTS
1. Bill Griesar, NW Noggin, PSU, OHSU
2. Jeff Leake, NW Noggin, PSU
3. Rebecca Chevrel, PSU
4. Abubakar Nur, PSU
5. Dan Jang, PSU
6. Kasey Judd, PSU
7. Alex Heinrich, PSU
8. AB Alseehan, PSU
9. Lauren Campbell, PSU

Noggin @ King Elementary PDX!
2023-10-31 09:00 - 15:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School, 4906 NE 6th Ave, Portland, OR, 97211, United States
WHAT: Noggin visit with K-5 students in Portland Public Schools!
We did it!

WHERE: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School, 4906 NE 6th Ave, Portland, OR 97211
WHEN: Tuesday, October 31 🎃, 9:00am – 3:00pm
CONTACT: Teresa Seidel, Principal, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School

“At Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. School, we believe in the unlimited potential of everyone in our diverse community. We believe that a caring well-balanced student will be motivated to become a global citizen who is inspired to take action.”

Noggin volunteers are excited to hear from K-5 students at this Northeast Portland public school in October! We’ll bring some extra noggins for exploring student questions and interests, and make more pipe cleaner brain cells too.

Please join us! Email griesar@pdx.edu and jleake@pdx.edu to learn more.
COMMITTED PARTICIPANTS
1. Bill Griesar, NW Noggin/PSU/OHSU
2. Jeff Leake, NW Noggin/PSU
3. Arlene Lopez, PSU
4. Abubakar Nur, PSU
5. Kasey Judd, PSU
6. Alexandria Bills, PSU
7. Alex Heinrich, PSU
8. Hailey Trieu, PSU
9. Ethan Mell, PSU
10. Andy Ng, PSU (1pm – 3pm)
11. Shelby Wilkinson, PSU
12. Jennie Terranova (9:00am – 1:00pm)
13. Angie Briones, PSU
14. Martin Lemke, PSU
15. Lauren Campbell, PSU
See what we’ve done at King in the past!
King Cortex!

Noggin at SfN, DC schools and Congress!
2023-11-11 - 2023-11-15 | Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt Vernon Pl NW, Washington, DC, 20001, United States
We did it!
Noggin Takes DC

WHAT: Noggin at Society for Neuroscience Conference & DC schools!

WHERE: Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mt Vernon Pl NW, Washington, DC 20001; Public schools TBA
WHEN: Saturday, November 11 – Wednesday, November 15, 2023
**REGISTER FOR OUR BRIEFING TO CONGRESS (Monday (11/13) 10 – 11:30am) HERE

The Society for Neuroscience conference will bring 30,000 researchers to Washington DC this November, including many of our Northwest Noggin (nwnoggin.org) outreach volunteers. NW Noggin brings together graduate and undergraduate collaborators from the Pacific Northwest, who since 2012 have developed and delivered their own arts-integrated instruction on the brain and behavior to over 65,000 academic priority students in urban and rural public schools, youth correctional facilities, art museums, breweries, coffee shops, houseless youth centers and more!

LEARN MORE: Noggin @ SfN
LEARN MORE: What is Northwest Noggin?
LEARN MORE: Noggin Bloggin

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2:30pm – 4:00pm
SfN Conference, WCC Hall E
Brain Awareness Campaign Event
Poster Presentation (presenters arrive at 2:00pm)

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 10:00 – 11:00am (poster) & 6:00 – 9:00pm (Brainfacts Showcase)
Poster Presentation: 10 – 11am

BrainFacts Showcase, 6 – 9pm
Right Proper Brewing Company, 624 T St NW, Washington, DC 20001
JOIN US for short scientific talks for a science-curious public audience, live music, and the release of a new brain-inspired beer, specially brewed for the event!

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 10:00am – 11:30am
House STEAM and Neuroscience Briefing
Synapses & Schmears!

VIEW INVITATION (.pdf): NW Noggin briefing invitation – 11-13-23
REGISTER FOR THE BRIEFING HERE

BRIEFING SLIDES (.pdf): NW Noggin House Briefing 2023
BRIEFING SLIDES (.ppt): NW Noggin House Briefing 2023
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 8:15am – 3:00pm
Outreach at Inspired Teaching Demonstration School!
200 Douglas St NE, Washington, DC 20002

COMMITTED VOLUNTEERS
1. Bill Griesar, NW Noggin, PSU, OHSU
2. Jeff Leake, NW Noggin, PSU
3. Ben Bolen, PSU, Neuroscience Club President
4. Kadi Rae Smith, PSU Neuroscience Club Vice President
5. Bee Conn, PSU, Neuroscience Club Science Officer
6. Cassidy Fitzpatrick, PSU, Neuroscience Club Historian
7. Cat Swallow, PSU, Neuroscience Club Event Coordinator
8. Marc Chenard, PSU Neuroscience Club NW Noggin Coordinator
9. Dan Jang, PSU, Neuroscience Club General Officer/Former President
10. Angie P. Mejia, PhD, Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain, University of Minnesota
11. Jonathan Lehman, Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain, University of Minnesota
12. Taylor Rawstern, Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain, University of Minnesota
13. Denesa Lockwood, NW Noggin, OHSU
14. Yasmin Kloth, NIH BRAIN Initiative (8:15am – 11:30am)
15. Mai Habib, NIH BRAIN Initiative (8:15am – 11:30am)
16. Gina Sampson, NIH Brain Initiative (8:15am – 11:30am)
17. Liz Akinbiyi, NIH Brain Initiative (8:15am – 11:30am)
In partnership with the American Brain Coalition, we will visit DC area public schools during that week, introducing them to graduate and undergraduate students, real human brains, and art projects designed to engage and inform young people about how their brains work.

We’ll also present a NORTHWEST NOGGIN BRIEFING TO CONGRESS!
LEARN MORE: NW Noggins Bring #brains2DC!
LEARN MORE FROM 2016 STEAMing to DC..!

The Roundhouse Foundation is providing support for Noggin volunteers to attend the conference – we are deeply, deeply grateful to community organizations that let knowledge serve!

NW NOGGIN ABSTRACT
Signal from Noise on the Oregon Coast
GRIESAR, W.S.124, LEAKE, J.123
1Department of Psychology, Portland State University; 2NW Noggin (nwnoggin.org); 3Department of University Studies, Portland State University; 4Department of Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University

DOWLOAD NW NOGGIN POSTER PDF
Northwest Noggin Signals from Noise SfN 2023
Science needs investment. Engaging the public communicates discoveries and builds support for education and research. Integrating arts in STEM (STEAM) and community members from varied fields fosters interdisciplinary engagement, and draws in people not currently overrepresented in neuroscience.

Nonprofit NW Noggin (nwnoggin.org) organizes undergraduates and graduates to collaborate, build community networks and inspire people about neuroscience and art. We bring diverse students excited by research and their own arts-integrated study of the brain and behavior into K-12 public schools, correctional facilities, Congress, houseless youth centers, coffee shops and pubs to hear what people already know and what they’d like to know, and to see where our stories and discoveries from labs and classrooms intersect. We’ve talked with over 65,000 people since 2012!

Our volunteers left labs and lecture halls in spring 2023 to learn from bar pilots, cardiologists, graduate students, curious pre-K kids and 250 engaged 9th – 12th graders with inspiring, challenging questions from rural Oregon public schools.

We love to learn from people with knowledge and experience we do not have, and find where our research might apply. These efforts have deepened connections. Noggin has been invited to Oregon’s North Coast every year since 2019, with meals and housing provided by local businesses and TRIO Clatsop.

Eleven volunteers and 100+ people came to the Fort George Brewery in Astoria, Oregon for a free Noggin talk about energy in waves. We introduced three speakers, each skilled in extracting essential signals from noisy swells. Mark Hails, a Columbia River bar pilot, described wave signals permitting safe navigation around an infamous bar; Tom Hernandez, a PA cardiologist at Columbia Memorial Hospital, taught us to appreciate and measure a blood-borne wave relevant to health and disease; and Randall Olson, a graduate student in Behavioral/Systems Neuroscience at OHSU, explored brain waves contributing to conscious experience and perception.

This presentation began a week of visits to pre-K’s and high schools in Knappa and Astoria. We made brain-related art, examined brain specimens, and discussed diverse topics of local interest, including sleep, psychedelics, fentanyl, elk behavior in response to different hunting techniques, ADHD, anxiety, depression, autism, alcohol, epigenetic impacts of multi-generational trauma, forest bathing, education and career pathways in neuroscience and the development of adolescent brains!

Interdisciplinary outreach informs community understanding, reaches more people, and builds support for investment in research and art.
LEARN MORE: Signal from Noise on the Oregon Coast
LEARN MORE: Pre-K, Fish and Logger Lobes!

PSU Neuroscience Club Abstract

Noggin + p:ear!
2023-11-30 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | P:ear, 338 NW 6th Ave, Portland, OR, 97209, United States
WHAT: Noggin @ p:ear!
We did it!

WHERE: p:ear, 338 NW 6th Ave., Portland, OR 97209
WHEN: Thursday, November 30, 2023, 10:00am – noon
Contacts: Jessica Kain, Education Coordinator; Kanani Miyamoto, Art Coordinator

NOTE: Noggin is visiting p:ear on October 3, October 26, and November 30!
Noggin is returning to P:ear, a remarkable Portland nonprofit aimed at building positive relationships with homeless and transitional youth through education, art and recreation to affirm their personal worth and help them create more meaningful and healthier lives. We’ll be exploring art projects and research related to dehumanized perception and how to overcome it and improve our world throughout this fall, winter and spring.

LEARN MORE: Seeing us all through research & art
LEARN MORE: Dehumanizing the lowest of the low: neuroimaging responses to extreme out-groups
We are excited to communicate science through the extraordinary volunteer efforts of our talented graduate and undergraduate Noggin participants from Portland State University, Oregon Health & Science University, the Pacific Northwest College of Art, and other collaborators!
Learning about brains and behavior, and genuine, evidence-based structural and functional aspects of who we are is powerful and actionable information for everyone, including those who are experiencing anxiety, depression, drug use disorders, bias, chronic stress, insomnia – as well as poverty, isolation, racism, homophobia, inequality, Supreme Court corruption and our region’s extreme lack of affordable housing.

LEARN MORE: Noggin @ p:ear
Come join us!
Please RSVP to griesar@pdx.edu and jleake@pdx.edu
COMMITTED PARTICIPANTS
1. Bill Griesar, NW Noggin, PSU, OHSU
2. Jeff Leake, NW Noggin, PSU
3. Rebecca Chevrel, PSU
4. Adriana Garcia, PSU
5. Abubakar Nur, PSU
6. Dan Jang, PSU
7. Alexandria Bills, PSU
8. Kasey Judd, PSU
9. Logan Bittar, PSU
10. Geoff Sierra, PSU
11. Becky Martinez, PSU
12. Martin Lemke, PSU

Noggin @ Hockinson Heights Elementary
2024-01-23 08:45 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Hockinson Heights Elementary, 20000 NE 164th St, Brush Prairie, WA, 98606, United States
WHAT: Noggin visits Hockinson Heights Elementary!
We did it!

WHERE: Hockinson Heights Elementary, 20000 NE 164th St, Brush Prairie, WA 98606
WHEN: Tuesday, January 23, 8:45am – noon!
PLEASE PLAN AHEAD: the school is about an hour’s drive from Portland, Oregon!
Contact: Morgan Beaty, 4th Grade Teacher, Hockinson Heights Elementary School

Our first visit to this Brush Prairie, Washington public school!
Class Session One: 9:00am – 10:00am
Class Session Two: 10:40am – 11:40am

Please join us! Email griesar@pdx.edu and jleake@pdx.edu to learn more.
COMMITTED PARTICIPANTS
1. Bill Griesar, NW Noggin/PSU/OHSU
2. Jeff Leake, NW Noggin/PSU
3. Angie Briones, PSU
4. Jennie Terranova, PSU
5. Natalie Robison, PSU
6. Zach Salcido, PSU
7. Becky Callos, PSU
8. Mira Bickford, PSU
9. Khelen Walsh, PSU

Noggin @ Oregon City High School
2024-01-25 08:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Oregon City High School, 19761 S Beavercreek Rd, Oregon City, OR, 97045, United States
WHAT: NW Noggin visit with high schoolers at Oregon City High School!
We did it!

WHERE: Oregon City High School, 19761 S Beavercreek Rd, Oregon City, OR 97045
WHEN: Thursday, January 25, 8:00 – 11:00am (plan to arrive ~ 7:45am)

We’ll join high school students studying science and anatomy in multiple classes at Oregon City High School to talk brain research, make art, and consider questions!

Come join us! Please contact Bill Griesar (griesar@pdx.edu) and Jeff Leake (jleake@pdx.com) to get involved.
COMMITTED PARTICIPANTS
1. Bill Griesar, NW Noggin/PSU/OHSU
2. Jeff Leake, NW Noggin/PSU
3. Kya Smith, PSU
4. Jennie Terranova, PSU
5. Justin Benner, PSU
6. Luis Carillo, PSU
7. Brin Rey, PSU
8. Jadyn Harris, PSU
9. Wolfgang Powell, PSU
10. Natalie Robison, PSU
11. Zach Salcido, PSU
12. Conner Corbett, PSU/OHSU
13. Annika Thomas, PSU
14. Savannah Pederson, PSU
15. Khelen Walsh, PSU
See what we’ve done before at Oregon City!
Did school kill my brain?

Noggin @ Roosevelt Elementary in Vancouver!
2024-02-01 08:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary, 2921 Falk Rd #5683, Vancouver, WA, 98661, United States
WHAT: Noggin visits Roosevelt Elementary in Vancouver!
We did it!

WHERE: Eleanor Roosevelt Elementary, 2921 Falk Rd #5683, Vancouver, WA 98661
WHEN: Thursday, February 1, 8:00am – 11:00am

Our first visit to this Vancouver Public School!
Please join us! Email griesar@pdx.edu and jleake@pdx.edu to learn more.
COMMITTED PARTICIPANTS
1. Bill Griesar, NW Noggin/PSU/OHSU
2. Jeff Leake, NW Noggin/PSU
3. Jennie Terranova, PSU
4. Denesa Lockwood, OHSU
5. Bradley Marxmiller, OHSU/PSU
6. Xander Hawkins, PSU
7. Brin Rey, PSU
8. Justin Benner, PSU

Noggin in Corvallis!
2024-02-01 17:30 - 19:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Arts Center, 700 SW Madison Avenue, Corvallis, OR, 97333, United States
WHAT: The Neuroscience of Narrative, NW Noggin presents at the Arts Center! Part of the NEW MYTHOLOGIES exhibit by artist Jeff Leake.
We did it!

WHERE: The Arts Center, 700 SW Madison Avenue, Corvallis, OR, 97333
WHEN: Thursday, February 1, 2024, 5:30 – 7:00pm (volunteers arrive ~ 5:00pm)

Join us!
At this event, The Neuroscience of Narrative, artist Jeff Leake joins Dr. Bill Griesar (PSU, OHSU, NWNoggin) to explore the biology that underlies how humans create meaning through narrative. Storytelling in combination with sensory and past experience profoundly shapes our understanding, as our brains makes predictions about the world.
In Leake’s work, he explores the interplay between cultural narratives and human relationships to encourage a nuanced understanding of human interaction and storytelling. Brain-related art objects are included in this unique presentation.
COMMITTED PARTICIPANTS
1. Jeff Leake, NW Noggin/Artist/PSU
2. Bill Griesar, NW Noggin/PSU/OHSU
3. Isabella Starr, PSU
4. Kate Lovetang, PSU
5. Justin Benner, PSU
6. Marc Chenard, PSU

Noggin Testifies in the Oregon Senate!
2024-02-06 08:00 - 08:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Oregon State Capitol, 900 Court St NE, Salem, OR, 97301, United States
WHAT: Noggin Testimony in Favor of Permanent Standard Time in Oregon
We did it!

WHERE: Hearing Room C, Oregon State Capitol, 900 Court St NE, Salem, OR 97301
WHEN: Tuesday, February 6, 2024, 8:00am
Northwest Noggin is honored and stoked by an invitation from the Senate Committee on Veterans, Emergency Management, Federal and World Affairs to present neuroscience research on the clear community and individual health benefits of making standard time – not daylight savings time – permanent in Oregon.
More details (and the research!) at the link!
Permanent Standard Time is best for your brain

Noggin @ Marshall Elementary in Vancouver
2024-02-08 08:30 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | George C. Marshall Elementary School, 6400 MacArthur Blvd #7533, Vancouver, WA, 98661, United States
WHAT: Noggin visits Marshall Elementary in Vancouver!
We did it!

WHERE: George C. Marshall Elementary School, 6400 MacArthur Blvd #7533, Vancouver, WA 98661
WHEN: Thursday, February 8, 8:30am – noon
CONTACT: Darya Samiee

Our first visit to this Vancouver Public School!
Please join us! Email griesar@pdx.edu and jleake@pdx.edu to learn more.
COMMITTED PARTICIPANTS
1. Bill Griesar, NW Noggin/PSU/OHSU
2. Jeff Leake, NW Noggin/PSU
3. Jennie Terranova, PSU
4. Denesa Lockwood, OHSU
5. Zach Salcido, PSU
6. Natalie P Robison, PSU
7.
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Noggin @ Ogden Elementary in Vancouver!
2024-02-15 08:30 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Peter S. Ogden Elementary, 8100 NE 28th St, Vancouver, WA, 98662, United States
WHAT: Noggin visits Ogden Elementary in Vancouver!
We did it!

WHERE: Ogden Elementary, 3200 NE 86th Ave, Vancouver, WA 98662
WHEN: Thursday, February 15, 8:30am – noon

Peter S. Ogden Elementary (PSO) is the farthest southeast school in Vancouver Public Schools, with boundaries at the edge of Evergreen and Portland Public Schools. They have over 520 students, and are extremely proud of student diversity. Their demographics are 40 percent Hispanic, 40 percent white, 7 percent Asian/Pacific Islander, 3 percent black, 1 percent American Indian and 10 percent other/multiracial.

More than 40 percent of PSO students speak a second language, including Arabic, Bosnian, Cambodian, Chuukese, Amharic, Hindi, Rumanian, Hmong, Kosraean, Lao, Malayalam, Marshallese, Rumanian, Russian, Soninke, Spanish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese.
Brain in Cambodian (Khmer): ខួរ​ក្បាល (“khuorokbal”)
Brain in Hindi: डिमाग (“dimaag”)
Brain in Hmong: lub hlwb
Brain in Bosnian: mozak
Brain in Arabic: دماغ (“damagh”)
Brain in Russian: головной мозг (“golovnoy mozg”)
Email griesar@pdx.edu and jleake@pdx.edu to learn more.
COMMITTED PARTICIPANTS
1. Bill Griesar, NW Noggin/PSU/OHSU
2. Jeff Leake, NW Noggin/PSU
3. Jennie Terranova, PSU
4. Denesa Lockwood, OHSU
5. Natalie P Robison, PSU
6. Justin Benner, PSU
7. Mo DindarAzimi, PSU
See what we’ve done before at Ogden!
Art, brains & GUTS at Ogden!

Occipital lobes at Ogden!

NW Noggin @ Fort Vancouver High School
2024-02-29 08:30 - 15:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Fort Vancouver High School, 5700 E 18th St, Vancouver, WA, 98661, United States
WHAT: Noggin outreach at Fort Vancouver!
We did it!
Trapper Keeper!

WHERE: Fort Vancouver High School, 5700 E 18th St, Vancouver, WA 98661
WHEN: Thursday, February 29, 2024, 8:30am – 3:00pm
We are super-excited to return to Fort!
Vancouver Public Schools changed their high school start times to a more reasonable 8:40am, based partly on neuroscience research presented in classrooms by Northwest Noggin outreach volunteers!

Check out some student questions!

COME JOIN US!
Please email griesar@pdx.edu and jleake@pdx.edu to get involved 🙂
COMMITTED PARTICIPANTS
1. Bill Griesar, NW Noggin/PSU/OHSU
2. Jeff Leake, NW Noggin/PSU
3. Mo DindarAzimi, PSU
4. Jennie Terranova, PSU
5. Zach Salcido, PSU
6. Natalie P Robison, PSU
7. Justin Benner, PSU
8. Aaron Eisen, OHSU
9. Michael Gold, PSU
10. Denesa Lockwood, OHSU
11. Becky Callos, PSU
We’ve visited Coreyanne Russell and James Cederstrom’s 9th through 12th grade classrooms on multiple occasions. More details are at the links!
Hey Vancouver: Let Kids Sleep!

Sleepy brains at Fort

Tired Trappers at Fort

Uploading your brain from Vancouver

Why do you study the brain?

Trap Squad!

Brains, biofeedback & SLEEP

Ventricles in Vancouver!

Society for Neuroscience OR/SW WA Chapter Meeting
2024-03-08 - 2024-03-09 | McMenamin’s Edgefield, 2126 S.W. Halsey St., Troutdale, OR, 97060, United States
WHAT: Society for Neuroscience OR/SW WA Chapter Annual Meeting

WHERE: McMenamins Edgefield, 2126 SW Halsey Street, Troutdale, OR
WHEN: Friday, March 8 – Saturday, March 9, 2024

From their website: “The Society for Neuroscience is the world’s largest organization of scientists and physicians devoted to understanding the brain and nervous system.”
This year’s Chapter theme: Neuroinflammation and the Aging Brain

SFN OR WA SCHEDULE
SFN OR WA 2024 PROGRAM

LEARN MORE: Molecular Mechanisms of Neuroinflammation in Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease Progression
LEARN MORE: Systemic inflammation as a predictor of brain aging

NW Noggin volunteers include neuroscience undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs and artists, and both individually and collectively we present and attend local chapter meetings and international conferences for the Society for Neuroscience (SfN).
LEARN MORE: NOGGIN & SfN

NW NOGGIN ABSTRACT
Las neuronas son bacanes: interdisciplinary neuroscience in Valparaíso Chile
GRIESAR, W.S.124, LEAKE, J.123
1Department of Psychology, Portland State University; 2NW Noggin (nwnoggin.org); 3Department of University Studies, Portland State University; 4Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, Oregon Health & Science University

POSTER_Noggin_SfN_Chapter_2024
Nonprofit nwnoggin.org organizes collaboration around interdisciplinary neuroscience, going places to explore brains, hear stories, make art and see where research discoveries can contribute. Portland State University in Portland, OR offers a minor in interdisciplinary neuroscience, where Noggin co-founders Dr. Bill Griesar and Jeff Leake both teach. In 2023, we reached out to artists and STEM colleagues at the Universidad de Valparaíso Chile. Along with the PSU Education Abroad Office and Academic Programs International we created Cerebrarte, the first international, homestay-based STEAM program exploring the rich art and neuroscience traditions of the Valparaíso region. We brought 17 students and two faculty to Chile from July 27 – August 28, 2023. Through visits to labs and the historic complex at Montemar, we explored how research on the giant axons of Humboldt squid contributed to our understanding of the electrical signaling that links our perceptual and cognitive experiences to the world. We met Dr. Ramón LaTorre and Dr. Juan Saez (members of the National Academy of Sciences), Dr. David Naranjo, Dr. Jesús Olivares, Dr. John Ewer and Dr. Kate Whitlock, and graduate students and postdocs for discussions about olfaction, voltage-gated channels, spider neurons and potential therapeutic compounds in boldo tea. We welcomed Kings College London neuroscientist Dr. Richard Wingate, Editor of brainfacts.org, the outreach arm of Society for Neuroscience, who spoke about his 2023 book, “The Story of the Brain in 10 ½ Cells,” with the ½ Cell referencing the giant axon. Valpo is home to exceptional research, and is a celebrated center of public art. Street art was legalized in 1990, and eye-catching murales are everywhere. Students examined art with thiscatcallededdie, explored regional museums, created engravings (grabados), and sewed arpilleras, woven depictions of challenging and sometimes traumatic experiences that allow emotional expression and create durable memories of events with artist Cecilia Araneda. We explored the neuroscience of perception, stress and trauma as it relates to personal experience (including aspects of culture shock), research, art and the 50th year since El Golpe, the US-backed coup that violently overthrew democratically elected President Salvador Allende in 1973. The program culminated in a visit to Ciencia al Tiro, a STEAM outreach nonprofit where we made pipe cleaner brain cells and took them to the streets to speak with residents of Playa Ancha sobre porque las neuronas son bacanes (why neurons are cool). Cerebrarte was an exciting, interdisciplinary, intercultural, international experience, and will occur again in 2025.
LEARN MORE: Las neuronas son bacánes!
NOGGIN PRESENTS SATURDAY, MARCH 9

CEREBRARTE SLIDES (ppt): NW Noggin SfN Chapter Presentation 2024
CEREBRARTE SLIDES (pdf): NW Noggin SfN Chapter Presentation 2024

OMSI BRAIN FAIR!
2024-04-06 09:00 - 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Oregon Museum of Science & Industry, 1945 SE Water Ave, Portland, OR, 97214, United States
WHAT: NW Noggin Brings Brains to Brain Fair!
We did it!

WHERE: Oregon Museum of Science & Industry, 1945 SE Water Ave, Portland, OR 97214
WHEN: Saturday, April 6, 2024, 9:00am (set up) – 4:00pm
One of the nation’s largest Brain Fairs is this Saturday at OMSI!

Come join Noggin for an awesome day of FREE public learning!
OMSI usually charges exorbitant admission costs ($14 for a 3 year old; $19 for adults!), but the Brain Fair is FREE! There will be some sandwiches provided for our volunteers by the OHSU Brain Institute, but Noggin will fill in the gaps this year, and bring pizza, water, snacks and coffee :).
PLUS there’s free admission to OMSI for all outreach participants (though again a taxpayer funded, “accessible” science museum should not be routinely charging $14 – $19 to get in 🙄)
WE ARE FULL FOR THIS EVENT!
COMMITTED PARTICIPANTS
1. Bill Griesar, NW Noggin/PSU/OHSU
2. Jeff Leake, NW Noggin/PSU
3. Jennie Terranova, PSU
4. Denesa Lockwood, OHSU
5. Selah Monsef, OHSU (2 – 4pm)
6. Rocio Garcia, PSU
7. Isabella Starr, PSU
8. Abigail O’Neil, OHSU
9. Quin Brunner, PSU
10. Wolfgang Powell, PSU
11. Natalie Robison, PSU
12. Kate Lovetang, PSU
13. Raymond Brewer, PSU
14. Lauren Campbell, PSU
15. Mo DindarAzimi, PSU
16. Angrich Brophy, PSU
17. Luis Carillo, PSU
18. Diego Sanchez, PSU
19. Alex Heinrich, PSU
20. Alyssa Showalter, PSU
21. Yoko Kinoshita, PSU
22. Will Mora, PSU
23. Pearl Ton, PSU
24. Cat Swallow, PSU
25. Shae Zeimantz, PSU
26. Ben Johnston, PSU
27. Kadi Rae Smith, PSU
28. Melissa Garcia, PSU
29. Marc Chenard, PSU
Brain Awareness for ALL

The Brains at Brain Fair

Bringing BRAINS to Brain Fair 🙂

Putting the brains in Brain Fair!

Pipe Cleaners, Gel Prints, Electrodes & Brains!

Noggin @ Sunnyside!
2024-04-18 12:00 - 15:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Sunnyside Environmental School, 3421 SE Salmon St, Portland, OR, 97214, United States
WHAT: NW Noggin @ Sunnyside Environmental School
We did it!!
Without my amygdala, would I get scared?

WHERE: Sunnyside Environmental School, 3421 SE Salmon St, Portland, OR 97214
WHEN: Thursday, April 18, noon – 3:00pm
Contacts: Asa Gervich & Jeremy Thomas, 4th Grade Teachers, Sunnyside School

We are thrilled to return LIVE to Jeremy and Asa’s lively classrooms this spring! We’ll make TWO visits, on Thursday (4/18) and Tuesday (4/23) to make art and explore brains, and consider the neuroscience of LISTENING!

How do our brains process auditory information compared to visual? Is our ability to truly listen put at risk by digital distraction and information overload?
JOIN US! Please contact griesar@pdx.edu and jleake@pdx.edu for to get involved 🙂
COMMITTED PARTICIPANTS FULL
1. Bill Griesar, PSU/OHSU/NW Noggin
2. Jeff Leake, PSU/NW Noggin
3. Angrich Brophy, PSU
4. Diego Sanchez, PSU
5. Alyssa Showalter, PSU
6. Cris Keirsey, PSU
7. Pearl Ton, PSU
8. Cat Swallow, PSU
9. Shae Zeimantz, PSU
10. Elizabeth DeGraw, PSU
11. Ben Johnston, PSU
12. Rocio Garcia, PSU
13. Melissa Garcia, PSU
14. Kadi Rae Smith, PSU
15. Hannah Hauser, PSU
16. Xander Hawkins, PSU
17. Iris Campos Servin, PSU
18. Daren Kostov, PSU
See what we’ve done before!
Learning through mistakes!

How to visit public schools

Thank You Northwest Noggin!

Neurons in Minecraft & More!

A crayon in Homer’s brain

What about the glia?

Noggin @ Sunnyside!
2024-04-23 09:30 - 12:15 (America/Los_Angeles) | Sunnyside Environmental School, 3421 SE Salmon St, Portland, OR, 97214, United States
WHAT: NW Noggin @ Sunnyside Environmental School
We did it!
Without my amygdala, would I get scared?

WHERE: Sunnyside Environmental School, 3421 SE Salmon St, Portland, OR 97214
WHEN: Tuesday, April 23, 9:30am – 12:15pm
Contacts: Asa Gervich & Jeremy Thomas, 4th Grade Teachers, Sunnyside School

We are thrilled to return LIVE to Jeremy and Asa’s lively classrooms this spring! We’ll make TWO visits, on Thursday (4/18) and Tuesday (4/23) to make art and explore brains, and consider the neuroscience of LISTENING!

How do our brains process auditory information compared to visual? Is our ability to truly listen put at risk by digital distraction and information overload?
JOIN US! Please contact griesar@pdx.edu and jleake@pdx.edu for to get involved 🙂
COMMITTED PARTICIPANTS FULL
1. Bill Griesar, PSU/OHSU/NW Noggin
2. Jeff Leake, PSU/NW Noggin
3. Angrich Brophy, PSU
4. Diego Sanchez, PSU
5. Alyssa Showalter, PSU
6. Cris Keirsey, PSU
7. Pearl Ton, PSU
8. Shae Zeimantz, PSU
9. Elizabeth DeGraw, PSU
10. Ben Johnston, PSU
11. Alexandria Bills, PSU
12. Rocio Garcia, PSU
13. Melissa Garcia, PSU
14. Nicole Scribner, PSU
15. Iris Campos Servin, PSU
16. Xander Hawkins, PSU
17. Cat Swallow, PSU
18. AB Alseehan, PSU
See what we’ve done before!
Learning through mistakes!

How to visit public schools

Thank You Northwest Noggin!

Neurons in Minecraft & More!

A crayon in Homer’s brain

What about the glia?

Storytelling Brains in Astoria!
2024-05-01 - 2024-05-03 | OR
WHAT: Noggin collaboration with Astoria & Jewell Public Schools, TRIO Clatsop and Kids Make Theater!

We did it!
Brain Cells Dance

WHERE: Various locations in and around Astoria Oregon, including the Liberty Theater, Jewell School and Astoria Public Schools
WHEN: Wednesday, May 1 – Friday, May 3 (return to Portland Friday, May 3)
HOUSING AND MEALS PROVIDED BY TRIO OREGON

MAKE BRAIN CELLS!
FREE WORKSHOP!!
Draw them! Print them! Twist them out of pipe cleaners! Make them out of anything!
Our brains are home to distinctive neighborhoods, each with fascinating local residents who constantly talk, reach out and connect with each other to make us who we are.
These are your BRAIN CELLS, and there are so many different kinds!

IMAGES: The Story of the Brain in 10 1/2 Cells, by Dr. Richard Wingate

Brain cells come in multiple shapes and sizes, with unique personalities and skills. Some of them are very excitable, and can bend others to their will, while some are better at slowing things down. Some brain cells can listen, some of them see, and others help you feel, remember, make decisions, notice things, get hungry, sleep or tell stories.

We’ll introduce these incredible brain actors and explore them – including what they look like, and what they do – and discover the neighborhoods (parts of our brains and nervous systems) where they live. We’ll examine real brain specimens, and discover how our own brain cells grow and develop and change across our lives!

And we’ll ask: what brain cell do YOU want to be?
Which cell speaks to you, and why? Are you pretty excitable? Some brain cells can’t stop talking. A little shy? Some cells help us slow down and relax. Do you feel things deeply? Are you always hungry? Sleepy? Goofy? Anxious? Do you like to tell stories?
Who would YOU be as a brain cell?

JOIN US THIS SPRING, hold noggins, make art, discover brain cells and create your very own, with its own shape, its own functions and its own neighborhood in your brain!
THIS SPRING: BRAIN CELL STORIES WITH NORTHWEST NOGGIN AND KIDS MAKE THEATRE!
WEDNESDAY, MAY 1
Travel to Astoria
STAY: The Y Astoria, 514 12th Street, Astoria, OR, 97103
4:30 – 6:30pm: Storytelling Brain Workshop (6 – 9 year olds) w/Kids Make Theatre @ the Liberty Theater FULL
DINNER: Fort George Brewery, 1483 Duane St, Astoria, OR 97103

THURSDAY, MAY 2
STAY: The Y Astoria, 514 12th Street, Astoria, OR, 97103
8:30am – 12:30pm: Astoria High School, 1001 W Marine Dr #5829, Astoria, OR 97103
LUNCH: Peter Pan Market, 712 Niagara Ave, Astoria, OR 97103
4:30 – 6:30pm: Storytelling Brain Workshop (9 – 18 year olds) w/Kids Make Theatre @ the Liberty Theater
DINNER: Fort George Brewery, 1483 Duane St, Astoria, OR 97103

FRIDAY, MAY 3
9:45am – 1:00pm, Jewell School, 83874 OR-103, Seaside, OR 97138
(note mailing address Seaside but it’s on Highway 103 quite a bit inland 🙂
LUNCH: Jewell School
Return to Portland

THANK YOU!!!!!!
Housing and meals provided by Fort George Brewery, Peter Pan Market, Jewell School & TRIO Clatsop!
COMMITTED VOLUNTEERS (FULL)
1. Bill Griesar, NW Noggin/PSU/OHSU
2. Jeff Leake, NW Noggin/PSU
3. Kadi Rae Smith, PSU Neuroscience Club
4. Julian Rodriguez, PSU
5. Martin Lemke, PSU
6. Natalie Robison, PSU
7. Pearl Ton, PSU
8. Xander Hawkins, PSU
9. Isabella Fleishman, PSU (Jewell School)
See what we’ve done on Oregon’s North Coast before!
Pre-K, Fish and Logger Lobes!

Signal from Noise on the Oregon Coast

Viking, Shark, Fishermen & Bandit Brains!

Clatsop Community Cortex

North Coast Noggins: Art, Alevins & Brains!

Accumbens in Astoria

Noggin @ Hosford
2024-05-09 09:00 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Hosford Middle School, 2303 SE 28th Pl, Portland, OR, 97214, United States
WHAT: Noggin at Hosford Middle School (Portland Public Schools)
We did it!!

WHERE: Hosford Middle School, 2303 SE 28th Pl, Portland, OR 97214
WHEN: Thursday, May 9, 9:00am – 12:30; meet at the school office
CONTACTS: Jane VanDam, Science teacher; Kevin Marquardt, Science teacher

Noggin volunteers from Portland State University, OHSU and other area campuses will meet with students in Kevin Marquardt and Jane VanDam’s 6th grade classrooms at Hosford, introducing them to neuroscience research and art projects related to understanding the brain.

Come join us! Please contact Bill Griesar (griesar@pdx.edu) and Jeff Leake (jleake@pdx.com) to get involved.
COMMITTED PARTICIPANTS
1. Bill Griesar, NW Noggin/PSU/OHSU
2. Jeff Leake, NW Noggin/PSU
3. Diego Sanchez, PSU
4. Shae Zeimantz, PSU
5. Elizabeth DeGraw, PSU
6. Ben Johnston, PSU
7. Rocio Garcia, PSU
8. Melissa Garcia, PSU
9. Hannah Hauser, PSU
10. Xander Hawkins, PSU
11. Iris Campos Servin, PSU
12. Brin Rey, PSU
13. Khelen Walsh, PSU/Rosenbaum scholar
14. Isabel Fleischman, PSU
15. Andy Ng, PSU
See what we’ve done at Hosford before!
KGW did a story!
Getting kids excited about neuroscience

Hosford, Hippocampi & Hope

Brains examining brains

Honest selves @ Hosford

Brains, Art & Inquiry @ Hosford

High energy Hosford: Tumors, music & drugs!

OHSU Brain Institute: Congressman Earl Blumenauer
2024-05-13 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Knight Cancer Research Building, 2720 S Moody Avenue, Portland, OR, 97201, United States
WHAT: Celebrating a Neuroscience Legacy: A Conversation with Earl Blumenauer
WHERE: Knight Cancer Research Building, 2720 S Moody Avenue, Portland OR 97201
WHEN: Monday, May 13, 7:00 – 8:30pm

Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR 3rd District) has been a stalwart advocate for neuroscience research for decades. In 2010, he established the Congressional Neuroscience Caucus to enhance policies that support research and dissemination of discoveries. In 2013, the Congressman was a key advocate in establishing the BRAIN Initiative, a partnership between Federal and non-Federal entities to accelerate the development of neurotechnologies.

In this talk, Representative Blumenauer will be joined by Bonnie Nagel, Ph.D., Senior Associate Vice President for Research at OHSU, to reflect on his legacy, the successes of his policy advocacy, and what to expect in the future of federal funding. This event will also be a celebration of his tenure as we bid him best wishes in his retirement. Opening remarks will be made by John Ngai, Ph.D., Director, NIH BRAIN Initiative.
WATCH EVENT: A Conversation with Earl Blumenauer

The Science of Creativity with Caldera Arts!
2024-05-16 17:00 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Haven Coworking, 1001 SW Disk Dr Ste 250, Bend, OR, 97702, United States
WHAT: Discussing the Science of Creativity, and the Creativity of Science
We did it!!

WHERE: The Haven Coworking, 1001 SW Disk Dr Ste 250, Bend, OR 97702
WHEN: Thursday, May 16, 5:00 – 8:00pm
FREE! Limited seats! Register HERE!

ADDITIONAL EVENTS ON AND MAY 18 (SISTERS) AND MAY 30 (PORTLAND)
Join Caldera Arts in May for an exclusive preview of our fall season of community events, including the launch of The Drawing Room: conversations exploring the impact of creative practice in our lives, and in our communities.
With The Drawing Room, Caldera will present an annual series of intimate gatherings designed to bring together community for small-scale, high-impact evenings, exploring the power of creativity. Together we will explore the unlimited potential of building vibrant and inclusive communities by harnessing the creative process.
We’ll discuss the impact of creative thinking, through the lens of change-makers, artists, and innovators who use the tools of a creative practice to shape their lives, and their communities.

Join us in May for a preview of this dynamic new series.
We’re bringing together a renowned neuroscientist, a celebrated visual artist, and Oregon’s Poet Laureate for a robust exploration of the impact of creative practice on the human brain, and how it shapes our world. We’ll round out the experience with live music performance—bringing the explosive power of creative improv through jazz.
Join us on May 16 in Bend, or May 30 in Portland as we stir together these creative minds in an exclusive gathering of Caldera supporters.

Caldera Alumni Guest Hosts:
Eloe Gill-Williams, filmmaker
Discussing the Science of Creativity, and the Creativity of Science:
Bill Griesar, PhD Neuroscientist and co-founder NW Noggin
Jeff Leake, visual artist and co-founder NW Noggin
Anis Mojgan, Poet Laureate of Oregon
Exploring Creativity Through The Written Word:
Anis Mojgan, Poet Laureate of Oregon will introduce us to his creative practice. (May 16 and May 30 only!)
Live Musical Performance:
Acclaimed saxophonist Christopher Brown
Bonus Event! On May 18th in Sisters, we’ll host a more intimate version of the Fall Preview—capped at 25 guests—featuring executive director, Kimberly Howard Wade, in conversation with Bill Griesar and Jeff Leake. Hosted by Alumni guest, music producer, The Wav., with musical guest Christopher Brown.

Noggin @ MacLaren Youth Corrections
2024-05-17 14:30 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, 2630 N Pacific Hwy, Woodburn, 97071, United States
WHAT: Noggin visit to MacClaren Youth Correctional Facility
We did it!!

WHERE: MacClaren Youth Correctional Facility, 2630 N Pacific Highway, Woodburn, OR 97071; go first to the Gatehouse to check in.
WHEN: FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2024, 2:30 – 5:00pm; PLEASE ARRIVE EARLY ~ 2:00-2:15pm
We drove from Caldera Arts near Sisters, OR – there & back!

Contact: Vanessa Bucio Chavez, Project Coordinator, HOPE Partnership
This is the first of two visits to MacLaren this spring: Friday May 17 and Friday, May 24.

“Because the brain is undergoing such rapid, fundamental changes at this stage of life, adolescents have a heightened capacity to learn and to [grow] out of risky behavior. Given an environment and supports appropriate to their developmental stage, most young offenders have the potential to become law-abiding adults.”
— The MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Law and Neuroscience
We are excited to return to MacLaren, and meet with more young people curious about the brain, and the policy implications of ongoing neuroscience research on adolescent development, bias, trauma, drugs, and mental health in terms of education, healthcare, criminal justice and the law.
2:30pm: Tom Nelson Conference Room, Maclaren Youth Correctional Facility
Granite: 3:00- 3:45pm
Boulder: 4:00 – 5:00pm
The HOPE Partnership is providing pens, markers and paper for drawing, and we’ll bring along pipe cleaners, nitrile gloves, extra noggins and plenty of grads, post-docs and undergrads who study the brain.
We’re also getting a tour of PROJECT POOCH!

Learn more about NW Noggin at MacLaren at these links:
Listening at MacLaren

Myelinating @ MacLaren!

All is in motion, is growing, is you

LEARN MORE: Youth get visual, hands-on experience with the brain
Corrections, Bias & Brains

COMMITTED PARTICIPANTS
1. Bill Griesar, NW Noggin/PSU/OHSU
2. Jeff Leake, NW Noggin/PSU
3. Natalie P Robison, PSU
4. Angrich Brophy, PSU
5. Becky Callos, PSU
6. Alexandria Bills, PSU
7. Elizabeth DeGraw, PSU
8. Xander Hawkins, PSU
9. Pearl Ton, PSU
10. Kadi Rae Smith, PSU
11. Cece Austin, PSU
12. Isabel Fleischman, PSU
13. Hannah Hauser, PSU

The Science of Creativity with Caldera Arts!
2024-05-18 17:00 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Pole Creek Ranch, 15425 McKenzie Hwy, Sisters, OR, 97759, United States
WHAT: Discussing the Science of Creativity, and the Creativity of Science
We did it!

WHERE: Pole Creek Ranch, 15425 McKenzie Hwy, Sisters, OR 97759
WHEN: Saturday, May 18, 5:00 – 8:00pm
FREE! Limited seats! Register HERE!

ADDITIONAL EVENTS ON MAY 16 (BEND) AND MAY 30 (PORTLAND)
Join Caldera Arts in May for an exclusive preview of our fall season of community events, including the launch of The Drawing Room: conversations exploring the impact of creative practice in our lives, and in our communities.
With The Drawing Room, Caldera will present an annual series of intimate gatherings designed to bring together community for small-scale, high-impact evenings, exploring the power of creativity. Together we will explore the unlimited potential of building vibrant and inclusive communities by harnessing the creative process.
We’ll discuss the impact of creative thinking, through the lens of change-makers, artists, and innovators who use the tools of a creative practice to shape their lives, and their communities.
Join us in May for a preview of this dynamic new series.
We’re bringing together a renowned neuroscientist, a celebrated visual artist, and Oregon’s Poet Laureate for a robust exploration of the impact of creative practice on the human brain, and how it shapes our world. We’ll round out the experience with live music performance—bringing the explosive power of creative improv through jazz.
Join us on May 16 in Bend, or May 30 in Portland as we stir together these creative minds in an exclusive gathering of Caldera supporters.

Caldera Alumni Guest Hosts:
The Wav.
Discussing the Science of Creativity, and the Creativity of Science:
Bill Griesar, PhD Neuroscientist and co-founder NW Noggin
Jeff Leake, Visual Artist and co-founder NW Noggin
Christopher Brown, Musician, composer, bandleader, and educator
Exploring Creativity Through The Written Word:
Anis Mojgan, Poet Laureate of Oregon will introduce us to his creative practice (May 30!)
Live Musical Performance:
Acclaimed saxophonist Christopher Brown
Bonus Event! On May 18th in Sisters, we’ll host a more intimate version of the Fall Preview—capped at 25 guests—featuring executive director, Kimberly Howard Wade, in conversation with Bill Griesar and Jeff Leake. Hosted by Alumni guest, music producer, The Wav., with musical guest Christopher Brown.

Noggin @ MacLaren Youth Corrections
2024-05-24 13:30 - 17:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, 2630 N Pacific Hwy, Woodburn, 97071, United States
WHAT: Noggin visit to MacClaren Youth Correctional Facility
We did it!

WHERE: MacClaren Youth Correctional Facility, 2630 N Pacific Highway, Woodburn, OR 97071; go first to the Gatehouse to check in.
WHEN: FRIDAY, MAY 24, 2024, 1:30 – 5:00pm; ***ARRIVE AT 1:30pm!!
This is the second of two visits to MacLaren this spring: Friday May 17 and Friday, May 24.
Contact: Vanessa Bucio Chavez, Project Coordinator, HOPE Partnership

“Because the brain is undergoing such rapid, fundamental changes at this stage of life, adolescents have a heightened capacity to learn and to [grow] out of risky behavior. Given an environment and supports appropriate to their developmental stage, most young offenders have the potential to become law-abiding adults.”
— The MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Law and Neuroscience
We are excited to return to MacLaren, and meet with more young people curious about the brain, and the policy implications of ongoing neuroscience research on adolescent development, bias, trauma, drugs, and mental health in terms of education, healthcare, criminal justice and the law.
The HOPE Partnership is providing pens, markers and paper for drawing, and we’ll bring along pipe cleaners, nitrile gloves, extra noggins and plenty of grads, post-docs and undergrads who study the brain.

We’re also getting a tour of PROJECT POOCH!

Learn more about NW Noggin at MacLaren at these links:
Listening at MacLaren

Myelinating @ MacLaren!

All is in motion, is growing, is you

LEARN MORE: Youth get visual, hands-on experience with the brain
Corrections, Bias & Brains

COMMITTED PARTICIPANTS
1. Bill Griesar, NW Noggin/PSU/OHSU
2. Jeff Leake, NW Noggin/PSU
3. Natalie P Robison, PSU
4. Angrich Brophy, PSU
5. Becky Callos, PSU
6. Cat Swallow, PSU
7. Elizabeth DeGraw, PSU
8. Emilee Brnusak, PSU
9. Kadi Rae Smith, PSU
10. Cece Austin, PSU
11. Isabel Fleischman, PSU
12. Xander Hawkins, PSU
13. Pearl Ton, PSU
14. Hannah Hauser, PSU

The Science of Creativity with Caldera Arts!
2024-05-30 17:00 - 20:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Jeju Restaurant, 626 SE Main St, Portland, OR, 97214, United States
WHAT: Discussing the Science of Creativity, and the Creativity of Science
We did it!

WHERE: Jeju Restaurant, 626 SE Main St, Portland, OR 97214
WHEN: Thursday, May 30, 5:00 – 8:00pm
FREE! Limited seats! Register HERE!

ADDITIONAL EVENTS (COMPLETED!) ON MAY 16 (BEND) AND MAY 18 (SISTERS)

Join Caldera Arts in May for an exclusive preview of our fall season of community events, including the launch of The Drawing Room: conversations exploring the impact of creative practice in our lives, and in our communities.
With The Drawing Room, Caldera will present an annual series of intimate gatherings designed to bring together community for small-scale, high-impact evenings, exploring the power of creativity. Together we will explore the unlimited potential of building vibrant and inclusive communities by harnessing the creative process.
We’ll discuss the impact of creative thinking, through the lens of change-makers, artists, and innovators who use the tools of a creative practice to shape their lives, and their communities.
Join us in May for a preview of this dynamic new series.
We’re bringing together a renowned neuroscientist, a celebrated visual artist, and Oregon’s Poet Laureate for a robust exploration of the impact of creative practice on the human brain, and how it shapes our world. We’ll round out the experience with live music performance—bringing the explosive power of creative improv through jazz.
Join us on May 16 in Bend, or May 30 in Portland as we stir together these creative minds in an exclusive gathering of Caldera supporters.

Caldera Alumni Guest Hosts:
Eloe Gill-Williams, filmmaker
Discussing the Science of Creativity, and the Creativity of Science:
Bill Griesar, PhD Neuroscientist and co-founder NW Noggin
Jeff Leake, visual artist and co-founder NW Noggin
Anis Mojgan, Poet Laureate of Oregon
Exploring Creativity Through The Written Word:
Anis Mojgan, Poet Laureate of Oregon will introduce us to his creative practice. (May 16 and May 30 only!)
Live Musical Performance:
Acclaimed saxophonist Christopher Brown
Bonus Event! On May 18th in Sisters, we’ll host a more intimate version of the Fall Preview—capped at 25 guests—featuring executive director, Kimberly Howard Wade, in conversation with Bill Griesar and Jeff Leake. Hosted by Alumni guest, music producer, The Wav., with musical guest Christopher Brown.

Noggin @ David Douglas High!
2024-05-31 09:00 - 14:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | David Douglas High School, 1001 SE 135th Ave, Portland, OR, 97233, United States
WHAT: Visit to Psychology classrooms at David Douglas High School
We did it!!!

“Thank you all for coming to DDHS last week! The students loved it and we appreciate you all so much! I have attached photos of a card they made for you. Thank you again!!” — Tracy Lind, David Douglas

WHERE: David Douglas High School, South Building Board Room, 1500 SE 130th, Portland, OR 97233; Please park in the lot off 130th; enter the doors that face 130th. The secretary will buzz people in and direct them to the board room.
WHEN: THURSDAY, MAY 31, 2024, 9:00am – 2:30pm
Contact: Tracy Lind & Heather Murdock, Social Studies/Psychology Teachers, David Douglas High School

We are excited – even depolarized! – to return to classrooms at David Douglas to discuss neuroscience research, examine brains and make art!
COME JOIN US!
Please contact griesar@pdx.edu and jleake@pdx.edu to learn more.
COMMITTED VOLUNTEERS
1. Bill Griesar, NW Noggin/PSU/OHSU
2. Jeff Leake, NW Noggin/PSU
3. Angrich Brophy, PSU
4. Luis Carillo, PSU
5. Diego Sanchez, PSU
6. Shae Zeimantz, PSU
7. Ben Johnston, PSU
8. Rocio Garcia, PSU
8. Melissa Garcia, PSU
10. Iris Campos Servin, PSU
11. Pearl Ton, PSU
12. Isabel Fleischman, PSU
13. Becky Callos, PSU
14. Mo DindarAzimi, PSU
See what we’ve done before @ David Douglas!
Thank you for letting us touch your brains

Inspiration & Education!

Everything but guns

NOGGINFEST 2024!!!!
2024-06-07 - 2024-06-08 | The Fixin’ To, 8218 N. Lombard, Portland, OR, 97203, United States
WHAT: NOGGINFEST!!
We did it!!!

WHERE: The Fixin’ To, 8218 N. Lombard, Portland, Oregon 97203
WHEN: Friday AND Saturday (June 7 and 8), 2024

Make art! Enjoy music! Discover cutting edge research! Ask questions! Hold BRAINS! This is the largest student-run, accessible, all ages, public celebration of music, art, “brain awareness” and interdisciplinary neuroscience in the Pacific Northwest!
And it’s FREE!!
Jeff Leake “Eclipse” 14×11 inches, Drypoint etching on paper

CHECK OUT THE ART AUCTION!!
DAY ONE!!!

DAY TWO!!!

LEARN MORE: NOGGINFEST!

Noggin Presents: NIH Brain Initiative Conference!
2024-06-18 11:15 - 12:15 (America/New_York) | Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, 5701 Marinelli Road, Rockville, MD, 20852-2785, United States
WHAT: Northwest Noggin presents a workshop on “Fostering inspiration and engagement through outreach, noggins and art” at the 10th Annual NIH BRAIN Initiative Conference!

WHERE: Glen Echo, Bethesda North Marriott, 5701 Marinelli Rd, Rockville, MD 20852
WHEN: Tuesday, June 18th, 11:15am – 12:15pm

MAKE ART! ASK QUESTIONS! EXAMINE (3D-printed 🙂 BRAINS!

Come join Northwest Noggin at the 10th Annual Brain Initiative conference on Tuesday, June 18th to explore how the arts and humanities can enhance, inform and enrich neuroscience research!

Screenshot
REGISTER (free!) HERE: The 10th Annual BRAIN Initiative Conference

THANK YOU NIH BRAIN INITIATIVE FOR PROVIDING ALL THE RESOURCES FOR NW NOGGIN TO TRAVEL, STAY, PRESENT AND EAT AT THE CONFERENCE! (we also received, after weeks of repeated requests, $43 from Portland State University to ship pipe cleaners for our workshop :))

The Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® Initiative, or The BRAIN Initiative®, is a partnership between Federal and non-Federal partners with a common goal of accelerating the development of innovative neurotechnologies. Through the application and dissemination of these scientific advancements, researchers will be able to produce a revolutionary new dynamic picture of the brain that, for the first time, shows how individual cells and complex neural circuits interact in both time and space.

LEARN MORE: The Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative

ABSTRACT
Fostering inspiration and engagement through outreach, noggins and art

Science needs investment, and engaging the public communicates discoveries and builds support for education and research. Integrating the arts in STEM (STEAM) fosters interdisciplinary engagement, and draws in more people not currently overrepresented in the academic study of neuroscience. Nonprofit NW Noggin (nwnoggin.org) organizes undergraduates and graduates to collaborate, build community networks and inspire people about neuroscience and art. We bring diverse students excited by research and their own study of the brain and behavior into public schools, correctional facilities, Congress, houseless youth centers, coffee shops and pubs to hear what people already know and what they’d like to know, and to see where our stories and discoveries from labs and classrooms intersect. We’ve talked with over 70,000 people since 2012! K-12 students and members of the public are inspired by interacting with our undergraduates and graduates, and discover new possibilities for future educational and career paths. Our outreach volunteers learn about community needs and questions, and become better at communicating science. Many of our projects and experiences involve emerging technologies, including 3D printing. In our BRAIN Conference session, we’ll have plenty of colorful 3D printed cerebrums to share, and we’ll build new cells from pipe cleaners that reflect the extraordinary diversity revealed by BRAIN Initiative supported technologies. Anyone interested in the power of art to excite, engage and invite a broader public into STEM will enjoy this experience, and come away with ideas to expand their own outreach efforts. Building excitement and awareness of discoveries, educational options and careers through arts-integrated neuroscience outreach trains new scientists to collaborate, engages more people, and increases awareness and support for community investment in both brain research and the arts.

SLIDES

SLIDES (.pptx): NW Noggin BRAIN Initiative 2024
SLIDES (.pdf): NW Noggin BRAIN Initiative 2024

Noggin @ Summer Research Academy!
2024-06-20 13:30 - 15:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Viking Pavilion @ Portland State University, 930 SW Hall St, Portland, OR, 97201, United States
WHAT: Tabling event at the Portland State University Summer Research Academy!
We did it!!

WHERE: Viking Pavilion at Portland State University, 930 SW Hall St, Portland, OR 97201
WHEN: Thursday, June 20, 1:30 – 3:30pm (arrive ~ 1:30pm for LUNCH!)
The PSU Center for Internship, Mentoring, and Research (CIMR) Summer Research Academy is coming up soon! We need information from you in preparation of your arrival and participation in SRA. The event is 3 days of activities held in-person on the PSU campus.
Screenshot
JOIN US @ the NOGGIN TABLE THURSDAY (6/20) – THERE’S LUNCH (and brains 😅)!
COMMITTED PARTICIPANTS
1. Bill Griesar, Noggin/PSU/OHSU
2. Jeff Leake, Noggin/PSU
3. Mo DindarAzimi, PSU
4. Jennie Terranova, PSU
5.
What is the Summer Research Academy?
Summer Research Academy (SRA) is designed to engage undergraduate students interested in making a difference in their communities by pursuing research opportunities in STEM, biomedical, behavioral, clinical, health, and social sciences. Students do not have to have prior research experience to participate!
The goals of SRA are to provide undergraduate students an introduction to what research is, how it’s developed and conducted, and where to find relevant research opportunities! Participants will hear from a range of professional researchers in their respective fields, panel discussions by undergraduate and graduate students involved in research, and get to know the different undergraduate research opportunities available at PSU and other universities.
At this 3-day event, participants will:
Improve their understanding of research
Increase awareness of research opportunities
Be introduced to research career paths and meet professionals
Connect with professional development opportunities and events related to research
APPLICATION DEADLINE: FRIDAY, MAY 24!!
Participants will receive $250 for attending all 3–days of programming (June 18, 20, and 21, 2024). Breakfast/lunch and snacks are provided! If you are a student (or research opportunity) and have any questions, please email us at summerresearch@pdx.edu.

Free Webinar: Open Science Drives Discovery
2024-09-16 15:00 - 16:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | OR
WHAT: Free American Brain Coalition webinar – Open Science Drives Discovery
WHERE: Online; REGISTER HERE
WHEN: Monday, September 16, 2024, 3:00 – 4:00pm Eastern time

Join us as we explore the transformative power of open science. This session will delve into what open science means, the importance of sharing data, and how it fuels scientific innovation. This webinar will provide valuable insights on how open science is shaping the future of discovery-and how you can be a part of this movement.
Speakers include:
Benjamin Dichter, PhD
Founder, CatalystNeuro
Community Liaison, Neurodata Without Borders (NWB)
Sue Tappan, PhD
Head of Community Engagement
SPARC Data and Resource Center
Moderator: Bill Griesar, PhD
ABC Programming, Engagement & Outreach Committee Member
Teaching Assistant Professor, Psychology, Portland State University
Neuroscience Coordinator, NW Noggin
