NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS NEWSLETTER
Volume 18, Issue 9 (September, 2014)

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Welcome to the Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter.

In this issue:

1. What's New at Neuroscience for Kids
2. Neuroscience for Kids Site of the Month
3. Neuroseeds Teacher Workshop
4. Back to School with the Brain in Mind
5. Neuroscience in India
6. Media Alert
7. Treasure Trove of Brain Trivia
8. Support Neuroscience for Kids
9. How to Stop Your Subscription
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1. WHAT'S NEW AT NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS

Neuroscience for Kids had several new additions in August including:

A. August Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter was archived
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/news188.html

B. Moderate Doses of MDMA Can Be Dangerous
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/lowm.html

In August, 2 new figures were added and 32 pages were modified.
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2. NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS "SITE OF THE MONTH"

The Neuroscience for Kids "Site of the Month" for September is the web site of "Michelle Hunter" at:

http://www.hunterart.com/

Michelle Hunter is a New York-based artist who works primarily in acrylic paint; she also has a great interest in the brain. Michelle's Web site features a gallery of her Brain Paintings and Brain Drawings. If you click on one of the images, you will be taken to a link to a blog where you can learn more about the image. The Brain Drawing images were created for special occasions such as World Autism Awareness Day and Valentine's Day.
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3. NEUROSEEDS TEACHER WORKSHOP

"Sowing the Seeds of Neuroscience" is a project I have been working on that involves a partnership between neuroscience researchers, teachers and students to develop hands-on laboratory activities for middle school students about neuroscience and medicinal plants. Last month, teachers interested in using the lessons in their classrooms attended a one-week workshop. The teachers not only worked through all of the lessons, they also had a guided tour of the University of Washington medicinal garden and visited the Herbarium. We ended the week at the Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering with a brief introduction to neural engineering and a reception. Photos of the teacher workshop are available at:

https://picasaweb.google.com/109062152188489752309/2014NeuroseedsTeacherWorkshop?authuser=0&feat=directlink
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4. BACK TO SCHOOL WITH THE BRAIN IN MIND

Start off the new school year with some brainy activities:

A. Brainy activity-a-day - do one short neuroscience-related activity every day: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/act.html

B. Track neuroscience in the news - read a current events news story about the brain.

C. Write a brainy poem - rhyming, non-rhyming, haiku, or limerick

D. Start the day with a brain joke or a brainy quote:

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/jokes.html
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/quotes.html

E. Increase your neuroscientific\ vocabulary - learn about the origins about neuroanatomical and neurophysiolgical words:

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neuroroot.html

F. Solve a brainy puzzle:

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/works.html
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5. NEUROSCIENCE IN INDIA

Later this month I will return to India (Dharamsala) where I will teach neuroscience to a group of Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns. You can follow me on this trip through my "Neuroscience In India" blog at:

http://neuroinindia.blogspot.com/

I will post messages, photos and videos to the blog during my stay in India when I have access to the Internet.
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6. MEDIA ALERT

A. "What's in a Grasp?" by David A. Rosenbaum, Oliver Herbort, Robrecht van der Wel, and Daniel J. Weiss; "Why Is It So Hard to Stop Sports Concussions?" by Stephen Piazza and "Etching the Neural Landscape" by Greg Dunn (AMERICAN SCIENTIST, September-October, 2014).

B. "Gulf War Illness Leaves a Mark on the Brain" by Florence Williams (DISCOVER magazine, September, 2014).

C. A new issue of SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND (September, 2014) is on newsstands now with articles about metacognition, memory, fibromyalgia, depression, and language.

D. "The Beautiful Life of Your Brain" by Kimberly Hiss (READER'S DIGEST, September, 2014).

E. "Etching the Neural Landscape" by Greg Dunn and "Why is it So Hard to Stop Sports Concussions" by Stephen Piazza (AMERICAN SCIENTIST, September-October, 2014).
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7. THE TREASURE TROVE OF BRAIN TRIVIA

A. Singer, songwriter, record producer Pharrell Williams ("Happy") has synesthesia. (Source: http://www.dinnerpartydownload.org/pharrell/)

B. To optimize sleep and alertness in the classroom, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that middle and high schools should start no earlier than 8:30 am. (Source: School Start Times for Adolescents, Pediatrics; published ahead of print August 25, 2014, doi:10.1542/peds.2014-1697)

C. University of Southern California neuroscientist Roberta Diaz Brinton was named "Woman of the Year" by Los Angeles magazine. (Source: http://news.usc.edu/67521/brinton-honored-as-woman-of-the-year-by-la-magazine/)

D. Jean Astruc coined the term reflex in 1736.

E. The cerebellum of a dog weighs about 6.0 grams.
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8. SUPPORT NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS

To ensure that Neuroscience for Kids stays available, we need your help. All contributions to Neuroscience for Kids are tax deductible (subject to IRS regulations). If you would like to donate to Neuroscience for Kids, please visit:

Help Neuroscience for Kids
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9. HOW TO STOP RECEIVING THIS NEWSLETTER

To remove yourself from this mailing list and stop your subscription to the Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter, send e-mail to Dr. Eric H. Chudler at: chudler@u.washington.edu
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Your comments and suggestions about this newsletter and the "Neuroscience for Kids" web site are always welcome. If there are any special topics that you would like to see on the web site, just let me know.

Eric

Eric H. Chudler, Ph.D.
(e-mail: chudler@u.washington.edu)
(URL: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html)