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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 October including:
A. October Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter was archived
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/news2010.html
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The Neuroscience for Kids "Site of the Month" for November is "The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research" at:
The Michael J. Fox Foundation is a nonprofit organization established to finding a cure for Parkinson's disease. The foundation provides research grants to scientists who work to develop new therapies for Parkinson's disease. The foundations web site has a blog with summaries of current research, podcasts with Parkinsons disease experts and tips for living with the disease. The web site also contains information for people who want to better understand the causes, symptoms and treatments for Parkinsons disease.
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Get out your pencils, pens and markers! The 2017 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/contest17.html
Here is a brief description of the drawing contest rules:
A. Drawings must be done by hand using pencils, pens, markers, and/or crayons and submitted on an official entry form (or copy of the form).
B. Entries will be divided into five categories based on age. Complete one of the following sentences and draw a picture to illustrate the sentence; if you are in:
Kindergarten to Grade 2: "My brain helps me ________________."
Grade 3 to Grade 5: "Brain Fitness: I keep my brain healthy by _________."
Grade 6 to Grade 8: "My brain is like a _________ because___________."
Grade 9 to Grade 12: "My favorite part of the brain is ________ because _____."
College students, teachers (all grades) and parents: "My favorite neuroscientist is ______ because _______."
Web sites for teacher and parent drawing ideas:
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/nobel.html
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/hist.html
SPECIAL HINT TO NEWSLETTER READERS: if you are in grade 6 to 8, do NOT draw a picture that compares the brain to a computer, a book, a sponge or a robot. These comparisons are very common and are unlikely to win. Be creative!
C. To enter the drawing contest, mail your completed entry form to the address listed on the entry form.
D. Entries must be received by February 1, 2017, and will not be returned. Winners will be announced no later than March 1, 2017.
E. Drawings will be judged by the staff of Neuroscience for Kids or by other individuals designated by Dr. Eric H. Chudler. Drawings will be judged on the basis of originality, scientific accuracy and overall design.
F. There will be several winners in each age group. Winners will be awarded a neuroscience book or other prize related to the brain.
Good luck to everyone!
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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 Monday, March 6, 2017, in the Husky Union Bldg. on the University of Washington Seattle Campus. 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.
Because of the high interest in the Open House and limited space available, we may restrict the number of people who can attend. Additional information (parking instructions, etc.) will be sent to the classes that are selected to attend. Teachers should complete an application form if they would like to bring their students to the open house; the application form is available online at
https://catalyst.uw.edu/webq/survey/chudler/317249__________________________________________________________
Last month I traveled to northern India to teach neuroscience to a group of Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns. I am back in Seattle now, but if you would like to read about my adventure, visit my trip blog at: http://neuroinindia.blogspot.com
and view the photos from my trip at:
https://goo.gl/photos/vD3YZ6VWmEsE9aca8
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The Dana Foundation is sponsoring the sixth annual Design a Brain Experiment Competition for high school students (grades 9-12). The first place winner receives $500 and the second place winner receives $250. The experiments must be submitted by a high school teacher, school official, or after school program coordinator. The guidelines and entry form are available at:
http://dana.org/uploadedFiles/DABEC_guidelines.pdf
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A. An Antiaddiction Drug Called Ibogaine Could Be a Wonder CureOr an Addict Killer by James Nestor, Scientific American (November, 2016).
B. How Bats Ping On the WingAnd Look Cute Doing It by Rachel E. Gross, Smithsonian Magazine (November, 2016).
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A. The cerebellum of a squirrel weighs about 1.5 grams (Source: Sultan, F. and Braitenberg, V. Shapes and sizes of different mammalian cerebella. A study in quantitative comparative neuroanatomy. J. Hirnforsch., 34:79-92, 1993).
B. Cerebrospinal fluid is 99% water.
C. The cat optic nerve has 119,000 fibers; the human optic nerve has 1,200,000 fibers.
D. The sea lion can hear frequencies between 100 and 40,000 Hz (Source: Discover Science Almanac, New York: Hyperion, 2003).
E. The thickness of a neuronal membrane is 5 nanometers (Breedlove et al., Biological Psychology, 2007).
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Help Neuroscience for Kids
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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)