What about the glia?

“Look for the helpers.” –Fred Rogers Neurons get the limelight, typically, in college textbooks, courses and even quite often in pipe cleaner form – but there are billions of non-neural cells that contribute to our brain’s cellular community – the glia! LEARN MORE: Glia as architects of central nervous system…

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Freedom @ Shahala

“It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of education have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry; for this delicate plant, aside from stimulation, stands mainly in need of freedom; without this it goes to wrack and ruin without fail. It is…

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Nicotine is a gateway drug

“So why are some legal drugs (like nicotine and alcohol) and prescribed medications (like opioids) MORE DANGEROUS for healthy brains than some illegal drugs like LSD and marijuana?” We arrived at p:ear this month to find one young woman who was clearly anxious and jittery, irritated and upset – because…

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Reflections on Chicago

Post by NW Noggin participants Mikah Brandes, Camden Howard, Maria Galvan-Bravo, Aaron Eisen, Sai Kiersarsky, undergraduates (and one recent graduate) of Portland State University. “We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community…Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs…

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Popping off (& pot) @ p:ear

“Everything that drowned me taught me how to swim.” ― Jenim Dibie Brains, art & research: November is NOGGIN MONTH at p:ear! We are always thrilled to return to this essential, welcoming community space, replete with good food, terrific art, and curious young people facing extreme life circumstances, including an unconscionable…

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Noggins in CHICAGO!

We did it! NW Noggin collaborated with the Society for Social Neuroscience on their first ever Social Neuroscience Fair! Outreach Event for First University of Chicago Social Neuroscience Fair We examined real human brains, created art, explored electrophysiology, discussed neuroscience research, and listened and learned at the Chicago Museum of Science and…

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Making a Difference

Post by Sara Moreno, undergraduate NW Noggin volunteer from Portland State University I’m an undergraduate in Psychology at Portland State University, and I’ve had the opportunity to volunteer at several NW Noggin events over the past few years. It always amazes me to see how much of an impact they…

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Securing Brains @ BioGift

Post by Danny Leister-Gray, undergraduate at Portland State “I profess to learn and to teach anatomy not from books but from dissections, not from the tenets of Philosophers but from the fabric of Nature.”  ~ William Harvey I am a student who recently transferred to Portland State University, and I’m currently…

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Brain-casting, on a budget!

Post by artist, Noggin volunteer and PSU graduate Darrin Lane Holding a real human brain for the first time is an unforgettable experience, one that confronts you, directly, with the extraordinary physical underpinnings of your own thoughts, feelings, memories, dreams and personality. It encourages many young people to think deeply…

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