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
Noggin has the Juice!
Enamored by Neuroscience!
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
Diet vs. Brain
“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well” – Virginia Woolf We wheeled our colorful cart back to Portland’s Newmark Theater to hear Bita Moghaddam, the Chair of Behavioral Neuroscience at OHSU, provide the nutritious conclusion to this year’s OHSU Brain Awareness lecture series on…
Diamond advice: brains, art, stories & play
“Perhaps I should just bury myself and become a diamond after thousands of years of intense pressure” –Lemony Snickett What’s the best way to educate a child? How do we help them grow, and develop self-control, focused attention, working memory, social skills, discipline and the motivation to meet life’s challenges and…
Color on the Noggin!
Post by Kanani Miyamoto, Noggin Resource Council, Arts Integration “Perception is the medium” –Bridget Riley NW Noggin recently visited my Portland Community College (PCC) Color Foundations class… As visual artists we first learn the building blocks of art, the elements of art: color, form, line, shape, space, texture, and value.…
Giant brains @ p:ear!
Have we mentioned how much we love this place? We love the impromptu street discussions as we unload brains in Portland’s Old Town, we love unscripted engagement on a host of neuroscience topics, from mental health to why some odors might relax you, to whether aspects of magic in fantasy novels…
Trap Squad!
Post by Denesa Lockwood Oberbeck, OHSU/NW Noggin Board Fort Vancouver High School (FVHS) in 1961 There is no substitute for hands-on learning. This is often the first-cited premise for justifying biological dissections. This author (and lots of other educators) believe in this premise whole-heartedly, as do an always eager group of NW Noggin…
Tagging the temporal lobe
Noggin returned for a second “Noggin Tuesday” at p:ear this week to make art, hold brains and answer questions… LEARN MORE: Noggin @ p:ear We’re visiting multiple mornings this spring, and this week’s eager volunteers included Jordan Ray, Jade Osilla and Aaron Eisen from Portland State University, and Noggin Resource Council member…
Job Opening: Research Assistant for ATTEND Lab (OHSU)
The ATTEND Lab at OHSU (PI: Sarah Karalunas) is seeking a full-time Research Assistant! You’d work with more than one electrode… 🙂 The Research Assistant will help with the management and analysis of EEG, ERP, and neuropsychological test data, as well as some data collection and administrative responsibilities. The ideal…
Soup for Brains!
How much energy does a brain require? How many brain cells do we have? Are humans unique in terms of brain size, number of neurons – or social skills, tool use, deception, or play..? How do you make “brain soup?” And what’s the best way to bring fresh cerebrums on an international…
P:ear: “He LOVES this”
Post and pictures by volunteer Ashley Keates, Portland State University As NW Noggin stepped feet and brains into p:ear we could instantly sense the great vibes and excitement from some of the youth at this much beloved and essential homeless youth center. One of the directors signaled a volunteer aside…
Taking children (& extra brains!) to work
A gorgeously warm and sunny spring day in the Pacific Northwest! We happily rolled our Noggin brain cart towards the riverside home of the Alzheimer’s Association of Oregon for another morning of public outreach… It was Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, and Tracy Morgan, the Executive Director…
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!.