Where is NW Noggin?
Our innovative graduate and undergraduate art and neuroscience volunteers are Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) Juice award-winning developing experts in science communication, synapsing for science, and teaching in schools, theaters, museums, urban and rural communities, homeless youth centers, breweries, correctional facilities, Congress and bike shop pubs! For more information see NOGGIN BLOGGIN.NW Noggin is a locally sourced, 501(c)(3) ALL-VOLUNTEER shoestring nonprofit organization. Your tax-deductible contribution supports the purchase of sheep brains, pipe cleaners, electrodes and clay for innovative, arts-integrated outreach, and helps send volunteers from local universities (including Portland State University, OHSU, and other area institutions) to public school classrooms, conferences and free community events.
DONATE HERE!
LEARN MORE: Community Neuroscience: How to Build an Outreach Organization
NW Noggin: Art + Brains
Why do we think too hard?
Guest Post: From Hamlet to hemorrhaging
Landscapes of the Brain: Seeing us all through research & art
Join us in Chile in 2025!
Please join us SUMMER 2025 in Valparaíso, Chile - the home of the Humboldt squid! 🦑⚡️🧠🎨😃 We'll explore how neurons carry information, and how research in Chile (involving the squid’s giant fused axons) led to our understanding of the electrical signaling that links our experiences to the world. We’ll visit laboratories to examine the rich history and exciting present of research at the Universidad de Chile en Valparaíso, make art (including arpilleras, woven depictions of experience that help people express challenging memories and preserve them for accountability), and contribute to community engagement through Ciencia al Tiro, a local STEAM (STEM + Arts) outreach nonprofit. We may even create a public mural celebrating famed neurology patient Phineas Gage, who lived for several years after his infamous accident - and drove a stagecoach - in the city of Valpo!
LEARN MORE: LAS NEURONAS SON BACANES. APPLY HERE (PSU): Valparaiso - Arte y Cerebros en Chile APPLY HERE (NON-PSU): ARTS AND BRAINS IN CHILE
Tired Trappers at Fort
So while last week’s freezing temperatures drove us inside a large, well-ventilated gym for K-5 students at Washington Elementary… LEARN MORE: Hands on Brains! THIS week a literal atmospheric river of Northwest rain led us to plan to station our volunteers, noggins and art under a generous outdoor tent at…
Hands on Brains!
“This is so cool! I love hands on stuff – even hands on BRAINS!” —3rd grader at Washington Elementary in Vancouver Public Schools On a brisk, chilly, windy morning, with temps hovering around freezing, some awesome and talented undergraduate and graduate students arrived early at Washington Elementary in Vancouver to…
The Qualia in Chromesthesia
Post by Allonté Barakat, Portland State University undergraduate, interdisciplinary neuroscience aficionado, software engineer, semi-professional voice actor, and aspiring cognitive scientist. My name is Allonté Barakat and in this 8.5min podcastlet entitled, Across the Cleft, I explore the fascinating world of qualia, art, and synesthesia. I created this piece for an…
Gathertown, Gathertown and hear the tale of the Netherlandic Noggin
Post by Austin Howard, MA, Radboud University. Austin was a member of the Portland State University Neuroscience Club and an enthusiastic Northwest Noggin volunteer! LEARN MORE: From Hamlet to hemorrhaging On the 12 of February three intrepid Noggineers assembled back in town, Gathertown. The occasion? The Hersenolympiade 2022 (Dutch for…
Tik Tok: Time to welcome undergraduate researchers in new ways
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” – Helen Keller By: Larry R. Martinez, Faviola Robles-Saenz & Bill Griesar What’s the difference between a university professor and a social media influencer? In reality, there are quite a lot of differences. But imagine a world where…
Dana Support for NOGGINFEST 2022!
Huge thanks to the extraordinary Dana Foundation! NW Noggin is honored to be a Brain Awareness Week partner of the Dana Foundation, a leading philanthropic organization that supports neuroscience research and extensive public outreach through grants, publications and educational programs. FUNDED! Our latest Dana Foundation Brain Awareness grant was just fully funded to support a new NW…
An Axonal Alliance
“Empathy has the power to bring together people who would otherwise never meet. It has the power to teach us and to reach us in moments of isolation when we think nobody understands.” — Dr. Vivek Murthy, Surgeon General of the United States LEARN MORE: The Neurodevelopment of Empathy in…
What’s it like to volunteer in a neurobiology lab? (Part 2: Experience)
Post by Elana Kananykhina, undergraduate at Portland State University. Elana is pursuing a minor in interdisciplinary neuroscience, and volunteers in Adie Rae Wilson-Poe’s cannabinoid research lab at Legacy Research Institute. Over the past few months, I’ve had the pleasure of volunteering at Legacy Research Institute’s neurobiology lab. After taking a Psychopharmacology class at Portland State…
What’s it like to volunteer in a neurobiology lab? (Part 1: Training)
Post by Elana Kananykhina, undergraduate at Portland State University. Elana is pursuing a minor in interdisciplinary neuroscience, and volunteers in Adie Rae Wilson-Poe’s cannabinoid research lab at Legacy Research Institute. How did I get here? Ever since I was a young girl, I put a lot of effort into finding answers to life’s questions. I…
Brains With Little Brains
Post by Andrea Rano, NIH BUILD EXITO undergraduate at Portland State University NW Noggin was invited to return to the Helen Gordon Child Development Center at PSU last week. LEARN MORE: Meet your brain cells! We had plenty of curious and enthusiastic Portland State undergraduate volunteers, including Bharani Nallamala, Krystal…
Synapsing in San Diego
“I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.” ―Maya Angelou.
Our AMAZING volunteers organized the largest all ages Art & Neuroscience Festival in the Pacific Northwest! We offered live bands, science-inspired art, neuroscience research presentations, and the chance to ask questions and examine real brains! The fifth annual Noggin Fest helped send more young scientists and artists to the Society for Neuroscience conference in San Diego - and into San Diego Unified Public Schools! LEARN MORE @ Brains Beyond SfN!.