NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS NEWSLETTER
Volume 16, Issue 12 (December, 2012)

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In this issue:

1. What's New at Neuroscience for Kids
2. Neuroscience for Kids Site of the Month
3. Neuroscience for Kids Drawing Contest
4. 2013 University of Washington Brain Awareness Week Open House
5. NEURO4KIDS.COM
6. CSNE YSP/REU/RET Summer Programs
7. ExploraVision Science Competition
8. Media Alert
9. Treasure Trove of Brain Trivia
10. Support Neuroscience for Kids
11. 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 November including:

A. November Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter was archived
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/news1611.html
B. Bath Salts
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/salts.html
C. Educating Brains About Helmet Use
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/pbike.html

In November, 9 new figures were added and 31 pages were modified.
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2. NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS "SITE OF THE MONTH"

The Neuroscience for Kids "Site of the Month" for November is "Research Network on Law and Neuroscience" at:
http://www.lawneuro.org/

Neuroscience is a topic that is discussed within many non-science fields such as economics, philosophy and law. This month's selected web site, "Research Network on Law and Neuroscience," focuses on the intersection between law and neuroscience. Research Network on Law and Neuroscience is sponsored by the Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation "to help the legal system avoid misuse of neuroscientific evidence in criminal law contexts" and "to explore ways to deploy neuroscientific insights to improve the fairness and effectiveness of the criminal justice system."

Start your exploration of the web site with the "News" tab where you will find popular articles about court rulings and legal issues. For example, one link takes you to a New York Times article (August 12, 2012) that discusses how judges give easier sentences to people when brain scans are used by defense lawyers. To dive deeper into the subject, move to "Publications" to find reprints about the issues or to "Neurolaw Resources" for links to other web sites.

The Research Network also sponsors conferences and is developing curricular materials to teach about law and neuroscience. Finally, the Research Network will support legal scholars and practitioners to attend the Neuroscience Boot Camp at the University of Pennsylvania where attendees will study cognitive neuroscience. Learn more about the Neuroscience Boot Camp at:

http://www.neuroethics.upenn.edu/index.php/events/neuroscience-bootcamp
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3. NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS DRAWING CONTEST - NOW OPEN

Get out your pencils, pens and markers! The Neuroscience for Kids Drawing Contest is now open to students in kindergarten through high school. This year, university students, teachers and parents can enter too! 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/contest13.html

The deadline to receive drawings is February 1, 2013.
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4. 2013 UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK OPEN HOUSE

Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is a yearly event to promote the public and personal benefits of brain research. As part of international BAW at the University of Washington, teachers and their students are invited to an Open House on Tuesday, March 5, 2013. If you are interested in attending the open house at the University of Washington, please complete the registration form at:

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

Space is limited, so register soon!
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5. NEURO4KIDS.COM

The holiday season is here! It's time to get brainy gifts for your friends and family. Visit NEURO4KIDS.COM for that special "thoughtful" present: http://www.neuro4kids.com
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6. CSNE REU/YSP/RET SUMMER PROGRAMS

The Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering (CSNE) is a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center with the mission "to develop innovative ways to connect a deep mathematical understanding of how biological systems acquire and process information with the design of effective devices that interact seamlessly with human beings."

As part of the CSNE education program, where I am the Executive Director, high school students, undergraduate students and middle/high school teachers will join research laboratories during the summer of 2013. The Young Scholars Program (YSP) will place several high school students in research labs for 10 weeks. Undergraduate students will also work for 10 weeks in CSNE-affiliated labs in the Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) program. In the Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program, middle and high school teachers will spend six weeks in a lab and one additional week developing curricular materials based on their research. All participants will receive a stipend for their work. For more information, including requirements and application materials, please visit:

http://www.csne-erc.org/node/14/summer-research-program-application
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7. EXPLORAVISION SCIENCE COMPETITION

Toshiba and the National Science Teachers Association have teamed up to create the Exploravision Science Competition. The competition is open to kindergarten to grade 12 students and according to the award Web site, "encourages K-12 students to imagine what technology might be like in the future." Entries are due January 31, 2013. For more details about the program, see:

http://exploravision.org/
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8. MEDIA ALERT

A. Body Worlds & the Brain museum exhibit at the Center of Science and Industry in Columbus, OH; exhibit ends on January 6, 2013. For more information about the exhibit, see:

http://cosi.org/exhibits/bodyworlds

B. "Mind Theorist" by Gareth Cook (SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN magazine, December, 2012) discusses how the brain recognizes what someone else is thinking.

C. The cover story of the November-December, 2012, issue of ODYSSEY magazine for kids is "Lost. Our Sense of Space."
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9. THE TREASURE TROVE OF BRAIN TRIVIA

A. Epilepsy affects approximately 2.2 million Americans. (Source: Institute of Medicine, Epilepsy Across the Spectrum: Primoting Health and Understanding, March 30 2012, http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2012/Epilepsy-Across-the-Spectrum.aspx)

B. American painter Chuck Close is afflicted with face blindness; he cannot recognize face. This is especially interesting because the primary subjects of his paintings are faces!

C. On December 12, 1904, Ivan Pavlov received the Nobel prize in Physiology and Medicine. Pavlov received the award for his work about digestion, not for his work about classical conditioning.

D. There are 1,000,000 neurotransmitter vesicles at the neuromuscular junction in frogs. (Source: Kandel, E.R., Schwartz, J. H. and Jessell, T.M., Principles of Neural Science, New York: McGraw Hill, 2000.)

E. In 2011, the Society for Neuroscience had 42,576 members.
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10. 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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11. 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)