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HAPPY NEW YEAR from Neuroscience for Kids!
Welcome to the Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter.
In this issue:
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Neuroscience for Kids had several new additions in December including:
A. December Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter was archived
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/news2412.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
D. Neuroscience Jokes
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/jokes.html
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The Neuroscience for Kids "Site of the Month" for January is "ColorMePhD" at:
ColorMePhD is a science-based coloring book created by Dr. Julie Rorrer, a postdoctoral researcher in Chemical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Rorrer created ColorMePhD for people interested in learning about scientific and engineering research. The web site currently has three volumes filled with PDF pages waiting for you to download and color. Volume 1 has coloring pages about graduate student researchers and descriptions of their work. Volume 2 features research by women scientists and engineers. If you are interested in plants, a collection of botanical coloring pages and history-making scientist pages is also available.
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Begin 2021 with your brain in mind. Take time to think about the best ways to keep your brain in tip top shape. Here are some ideas to get the new year off to a good start.
A. If you received a gift such as a new bike, skateboard, skates or skis, make sure you wear a helmet that fits properly before you head outside.
B. Eat a well-balanced diet. Food provides the energy to power your brain.
C. Get enough sleep every day. Adequate sleep helps maintain mental performance during the day and helps with memory.
D. Exercise physically and mentally. If you are not already exercising physically, do not start out too fast. You may want to speak with a doctor for advice about the most appropriate form of exercise for your age and ability. Physical exercise may improve your memory, reduce your blood pressure, and improve the health of your heart. I started jogging several years ago and now run 4-5 km most days. I also jump rope by mixing fast jumps, rest, and slow jumps. Mental exercise could involve reading books, taking up a new hobby or learning how to play a musical instrument.
E. Avoid a winter "break." Streets, steps and sidewalks can be very icy this time of year. Be careful when you walk to avoid a fall and injury.
Enjoy a safe and healthy 2021.
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Get out your pencils, pens and markers! There is one more month for you to send in entries for the 2021 NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS DRAWING CONTEST. Entries must be received by February 1, 2021. The contest is open to everyone: 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
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Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is scheduled for March 15-21, 2021 and organizations around the world are planning their activities and celebrations. Here at the University of Washington, because of COVID-19 health and safety concerns, we plan to have a virtual BAW event instead of an in-person open house. There is still some space available for this virtual event for interested students and classes:
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/baw.html
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Now is the time to start planning for the summer. At the University of Washington Center for Neurotechnology, I manage a few summer research programs for high school students, secondary school teachers and undergraduate students.
High school students can now register for the Center for Neurotechnology Young Scholars Program-REACH (YSP-REACH). This is a five day (August 2-6, 2021) program when students are introduced to neuroscience and neural engineering, neuroethics, scientific communications, and the latest developments in brain-computer interfaces. I hope that I can host this program in-person where students will tour labs around the University of Washington campus and do some hands-on activities. However, because of COVID-19 health and safety concerns, the program may have to be virtual. YSP-REACH information and an application form are located at:
http://centerforneurotech.org/content/young-scholars-program
Secondary school teachers can apply for the Center for Neurotechnology Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program and undergraduate students can apply for the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. These programs place teachers and undergraduate students into labs where they conduct research for several weeks. Applications and more information about the REU and RET programs are available at:
http://centerforneurotech.org/content/research-experience-undergraduates
http://centerforneurotech.org/content/research-experience-teachers
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A. "Dawn of the Stem Cell Revolution" (DISCOVER magazine, January/February 2021).
B. "Do We Ever Stop Learning" and "Head Trip" (POPULAR SCIENCE, Winter 2020).
C. "Is the Internet Conscious" (WIRED, December 2020/January 2021). D. "New Hope for Alzheimer's" is the cover story of the December 18, 2020 issue of NEWSWEEK magazine.
E. "Stress Survival Guide" is the cover story in the January 2021 issue of SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND magazine. F. "Dangers of Divided Attention" and "Could Infections Make Us Vulnerable to Alzheimer's Disease?" in the January-February 2021 issue of AMERICAN SCIENTIST magazine.
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A. In 2020, Norway issued a postage stamp to celebrate Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientists Edvard Moser and May-Brit Moser and their work about grid of cells in the brain.
B. Spinosaurus (spine lizard) was a 50-foot-long, seven-ton dinosaur that swam. (Source: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/04/first-spinosaurus-tail-found-confirms-dinosaur-was-swimming/.)
C. The Canyon bicycle company sells a mountain bike named the "Neuron."
D. See the winners of the Best Illusions of the Year contest at: http://illusionoftheyear.com/
E. Giant clams (Tridacna species) have several hundred pinhole type eyes on their mantles (Source: Land, M.F., The spatial resolution of the pinhole eyes of giant clams (Tridacna maxima), Proc. Biol. Sci., 270:185-188, 2003.)
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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.