NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS NEWSLETTER
Volume 18, Issue 12 (December, 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. Neuroscience for Kids Drawing Contest
4. University of Washington Brain Awareness Week Open House
5. Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting
6. Summer Research for High School Students/Teacher and Undergraduates
7. Brainy Gifts Ideas
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/news1811.html
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2. NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS "SITE OF THE MONTH"

The Neuroscience for Kids "Site of the Month" for December is "The Homunculus Mapper" at:

http://www.maxplanckflorida.org/fitzpatricklab/homunculus/index.html

The Homunculus Mapper web site was created by members of Dr. David Fitzpatrick's laboratory at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience. The site describes the classic two-point discrimination experiment, but gives it twist by allowing people to visually display their results graphically.

First, follow the step-by-step instructions to map the sensitivity of different parts of your body. You will create cards with toothpicks separated by different distances that will allow you to test whether one or two points are detected. Keep track of the distances when someone says that they only feel one point even though two toothpick points touched their skin. After you have collected your data, go back to the main page and select a model. Enter your data for the different parts of the body to see how the sensitivity of different parts of your body is mapped to your brain. You can even print out your final "homunculus."
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3. NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS DRAWING CONTEST

Get out your pencils, pens and markers! The 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/contest15.html

Good luck to everyone!
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4. 2015 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, you are invited to an Open House on Tuesday, March 3, 2015.

The Brain Awareness Week Open House will include an interactive group assembly about the brain and hands-on exhibits that highlight different aspects of brain research. The Open House is scheduled for Tuesday, March 3, 2015, in the University of Washington Husky Union Building (Seattle, WA). Because of the high interest in the Open House and limited space available, we must restrict the number of people who can attend. Additional information (parking instructions, etc.) will be sent to the classes that are selected to attend.

For more information about UW BAW Open House, contact Dr. Eric H. Chudler (e-mail: chudler@u.washington.edu) or visit the UW BAW web page at:

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

If you would like to attend the Open House, please complete the online application located at:

https://catalyst.uw.edu/webq/survey/chudler/253585

Those teachers and classes selected to attend the Open House will be notified no later than February 1, 2015. Register early - space fills up quickly!
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5. SOCIETY FOR NEUROSCIENCE MEETING

Last month I joined more than 30,000 other scientists in Washington, D.C. for the annual Society for Neuroscience meeting. Just about every aspect of neuroscience was represented at the meeting. Most people present large posters (6 feet wide by 4 feet high) of their work. Presenters stand by their posters as other people stop by to hear what was done and to ask questions.

My poster was in the "Teaching of Neuroscience" session and described the Sowing the Seeds of Neuroscience program (http://www.neuroseeds.org). Many people were interested in the program and some said they will visit the program web site and try out some of the lessons. Several of the posters I visited gave me new ideas to try. For example, I learned about bean beetles and may be able to use these in some new experiments.

The Society for Neuroscience meeting is tiring because there is so much to see, but the enthusiasm and passion people have for their work is energizing.

According to the Society for Neuroscience, the meeting attracted:

31,263 attendees from 86 countries
537 exhibiting companies
13,837 posters
15,510 presenters
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6. SUMMER RESEARCH FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS/TEACHERS AND UNDERGRADUATES

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, high school teachers, and undergraduate students have the opportunity to join research laboratories during the summer of 2015 on the Seattle campus of the University of Washington. For more information, including requirements and application materials, please visit:

http://www.csne-erc.org/education
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7. BRAINY GIFT IDEAS

Are you looking for a special gift to give to a friend, teacher, or relative? Can't decide what to get? Why not give something brainy? Brainy gifts are great to say "Happy Holidays," "Happy New Year" and "Congratulations!" Here are some suggestions:

A. Brainy T-shirts, mugs, ties and other items from NEURO4KIDS.COM:

http://www.neuro4kids.com

B. Books about the brain: for suggestions, see the Neuroscience for Kids Book Review page at:

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

C. Crafts: spend little or no money and create your own "brainy gift." The Neuroscience for Kids web site has many craft projects that you can turn into gifts. See: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/experi.html
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8. MEDIA ALERT

A. "This Is Your Brain On Drugs" by Adam Piore (DISCOVER magazine, December, 2014)

B. The December 2014 issue of SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN has two articles about pain: "Taking the Sting Out of Pain" by Mark Peplow and "Pain That Won't Quit" by Stephani Sutherland.

C. "Brain: The Inside Story" is a museum exhibit on tour from the American Museum of Natural History. The exhibit will be on the floor at the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto, Canada, until March 29, 2015.
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9. THE TREASURE TROVE OF BRAIN TRIVIA

A. Starting next fall, the Fairfax County Public Schools (Virginia), the 11th largest school district in the United States, will delay high school start time so students can get more sleep.

B. The Alzheimer's Disease International organization predicts that 135 million people will have Alzheimer's disease by mid-century. (Source: Gammon, K., Brain windfall, Nature, 515:299-300, 2014.)

C. Owls have three eyelids.

D. Edme Mariotte (born, 1620; died, 1684) is credited as the first scientist to discover the blind spot in the visual system. (Source: Grzybowski, A. and Aydin, P., Edme Mariotte (1620-1684): Pioneer of Neurophysiology. Surv Ophthalmol., 52:443-451, 2007.)

E. Prosopagnosia, the inability to recognize and identify familiar faces, can occur in people who suffer damage to the temporal lobe.
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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)