Another merry band of volunteer neuroscience educators arrived in southeast Portland this morning, eager to make art, show brains and answer questions from 6th graders at Hosford Middle School! We’re fast approaching Brain Awareness Week, an annual celebration of high energy (noradrenergic?) neuroscience outreach initiated by the Dana Foundation, a leading philanthropic organization that supports…
What is science communication? How do we effectively talk with each other, and learn? In this season of brain awareness, we know from lived experience, extensive outreach – and brain research – that taking risks, including others, going places where established institutions don’t engage, listening to stories and making art…
“The trickster’s function is to break taboos, create mischief, stir things up. In the end, the trickster gives people what they really want, some sort of freedom.” – Tom Robbins Detail from “Singing the Souls Back Home,” by Ruth Brockman We love hearing from kids in middle school! Sixth graders…
Wy’East is the resonant Wapato tribal name for Oregon’s tallest mountain, currently snow-capped Mount Hood, re-named by white settlers after a British Admiral who both fought against the United States – and never set foot in the Pacific Northwest… LEARN MORE: 7 Northwest Mountains Named For White Men LEARN MORE: KEEPER OF THE FIRE (Tale…
Post by Denesa Oberbeck, Ph.D. Senior Research Associate, Department of Behavioral Neuroscience, OHSU Another early start for our volunteers, who brought their brains (plus extras!) and knowledge to 6th graders at Shahala Middle School – beginning at 7:45 am! LEARN MORE: Noggins in Nod, The science of sleep We’ve been to Shahala…
“We all have cultural bias, racial bias. One of the difficult things around this subject is to deny that we have places we go to subconsciously, and unless you consciously decide that that’s wrong and you’ve got to do something about it, especially if you’re in a position of power,…
NW Noggin joined the fun at Irvington School this week for the annual Family STEAM Night (STEAM: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Mathematics) at this Portland Public K-8… LEARN MORE: How the Sciences & Arts are Coming Together to Drive Innovation We brought more of our motivated, knowledgeable Noggin volunteers, including…
Post by Jacob Schoen, PSU/OHSU Oregon National Primate Research Center Early this morning a dedicated group of NW Noggin volunteers pulled up to Liberty High School with containers full of pipe cleaner neurons, vibrant pink, green and orange 3D printed brain models – and of course REAL human brains! The…
Post written by Heather Hamilton, NIH BUILD EXITO scholar at Portland State University Through NIH BUILD EXITO at PSU, I was lucky enough to be introduced to NW Noggin. BUILD EXITO is a scholarship that diversifies STEM fields by pairing underrepresented undergraduates with mentors in their fields of interest. I bring diversity…
Post by Jessica Patching-Bunch, Noggin Resource Council member NW Noggin volunteers were invited to Minter Bridge Elementary School in Hillsboro on a crisp December morning, ready to take on an energetic class of SIXTY 4th graders followed by another thirty eager 5th graders! We were welcomed by Mrs. Murphy, a 4th…