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Welcome to the Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter.
In this issue:
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Neuroscience for Kids had several new additions in November including:
A. November Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter was archived
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/news2411.html
B. New Neuroscience in the News
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/inthenews.html
C. UW Brain Awareness Week Open House
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/baw.html
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The Neuroscience for Kids "Site of the Month" for December is "The Museum of the Eye" at:
https://www.aao.org/museum-of-the-eye
The American Academy of Ophthalmology Truhlsen-Marmor Museum of the Eye is a free museum dedicated to the world of vision. Although the actual museum in San Francisco (CA) is temporarily closed, you can still explore some of its resources online. The site contains three full lessons about the eye and vision: A) Healthy Eyes, Healthy Body, B) Art + Vision: Seeing in 3-D, and C) Eye Openers. Each lesson has basic information and activities to learn about the anatomy of the eye and how vision works. You can also download a coloring book with historical images of the eye.
If you are interested in the history of ophthalmology, the Museum of the Eye web site has links to many libraries, museums and archives where you can do your own research.
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Get out your pencils, pens and markers! The 2021 NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS DRAWING CONTEST is now open to students in kindergarten through high school, teachers and parents. Use your imagination to draw a picture about the nervous system and you might win a prize. The complete set of rules and the official entry form for the contest are available at:
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/contest21.html
Good luck to everyone!
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Brain Awareness Week is scheduled for March 15-21, 2021 and organizations around the world are planning their activities and celebrations. COVID-19 health and safety concerns will likely require that BAW programs take place virtually instead of in-person. For many years I have participated in BAW activities at the University of Washington and always enjoy meeting people who attend these events. However, to keep everyone safe, in 2020, I converted the in-person BAW Open House to a virtual event and I plan to offer a similar activity in 2021.
The Dana Foundation web site is a great place to learn more about BAW and find activities and events. The Dana Foundation also recently interviewed a few neuroscientists (including me) about why they participate in BAW. You can watch this video here:
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The Center for Neurotechnology, where I work, has been providing a summer research program for undergraduate students and secondary school teachers for nine years. These students and teachers are placed into labs where they conduct research for several weeks. Applications for these programs, the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) and Research Experience for Teachers (RET), are now being accepted.
REU students must be currently enrolled in college, be at least 18 years old by the start of the program and have a strong interest in neuroscience and neurotechnology. Previous research experience is not required. Students who are selected for the REU program receive free travel to the University of Washington, free housing on campus during the program and a stipend. Of course, if COVID-19 restrictions are still in place, the program may have to go the virtual route where students would still receive a stipend, but they would not travel or stay in Seattle. Teachers in the RET program also receive a stipend for their work, but the duration of the program is only six weeks.
Applications for the REU and RET program are available at:
http://centerforneurotech.org/content/research-experience-undergraduates
http://centerforneurotech.org/content/research-experience-teachers
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In addition to hosting summer undergraduate students for a summer research experience, the Center for Neurotechnology (CNT) at the University of Washington sponsors a five day "YSP-REACH" program on the Seattle Campus during the summer for high school students. Students receive an introduction to neuroscience and neural engineering, neuroethics, scientific communication, and the latest developments in brain-computer interfaces. They will also tour CNT partner labs around campus. The goal of the program is to provide students with exposure to the field of neural engineering and provide basic preparation for college studies in STEM subjects as well as future STEM careers. The program is well suited for students interested in a STEM career, with a specific interest in neural engineering and neuroscience.
Due to COVID-19 health and safety concerns, the 2020 YSP-REACH program was offered online only. I hope to provide an in-person YSP-REACH program August 2-6, 2021. For details about the program and application form, please see:
http://centerforneurotech.org/content/young-scholars-program
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A. "Hand Transplants Demonstrate the Nervous System's Amazing Adaptability" in SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN (December, 2020).
B. "Living Electrodes Could Link Brains to Computers" in NEW SCIENTIST magazine (November 21-27, 2020).
C. "The New Science of Canine Cognition" is the cover story of the December, 2020. issue of SMITHSONIAN magazine.
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A. Diego Maradona, the great soccer player from Argentina, was discharged from the hospital last month after he had successful brain surgery for a subdural hematoma, but unfortunately, he passed away on November 25, 2020, after suffering from cardiac arrest.
B. In 2004, an amateur fossil hunter found something that looked like a small rock. It turned out that the object was the first fossilized dinosaur brain ever discovered. (Source: New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/28/science/first-fossilized-dinosaur-brain.html).
C. Venomous snakes, including those with neurotoxic venoms, kill about 130,000 people around the world each year. (Source, National Geographic, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/05/snakebites-neglected-health-crisis-africa/)
D. The superior colliculi and inferior colliculi are two sets of paired structures found on the roof of the midbrain. The superior colliculi (colliculus is singular) are important for processing visual information and the inferior colliculi are important for processing auditory information. The word colliculus comes from the Latin word meaning "little hill" because each colliculus of the brain looks like a little bump.
E. The first formal meeting of The Society of Neurological Surgeons convened in Boston on November 26, 1920.
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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.