Recent Events
Join us as we embark on educational journeys to high schools and events, offering tutoring and invaluable experience in the dynamic world of neuroscience
SciComm Workshops at University High School (2023)
This autumn, our Scholars Organization from Cell Scholars embraced science outreach within the local community! Collaborating with Knowing Neurons and supported by the National Science Policy Network, we hosted two interactive workshops on science communication for high school students in Los Angeles. Heading over to University High School, our UCLA-based members led engaging sessions, complete with pizza, where we showcased exciting neuroscience demos, explored STEM careers, and simplified the path to science communication involvement.
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Fast forward to October 24th, where we hosted a specialized session on Science Writing for a General Audience. Tailored for a select group of six high school mentees from UCLA's CELL Scholars mentorship program, this interactive workshop delved into science writing fundamentals, pitching articles, and drafting pieces. Students left with take-home worksheets to hone their skills and craft article pitches. Through our collaboration with CELL Scholars, these students will have the opportunity to submit articles to Knowing Neurons based on their research experiences in UCLA labs.
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On October 11th, our team delivered a workshop on Careers in STEM and Science Communication for 20 high school juniors and seniors. We highlighted the diverse career avenues within STEM, from academia to science writing, media, industry, and beyond. The workshop's highlight? A hands-on neuroscience demo using a portable electroencephalography kit to capture real-time brain waves, focusing on the intriguing P300 "oddball" event-related potential.
Lab techniques workshop at Mountain View High School (2024)
On May 5, 2024, Cell Scholars ran a workshop that showcased some of the major techniques in the lab applied to the neuroscience field. The workshop started with a quick, general PowerPoint presentation that provided a broad overview of neuroscience research, along with the different techniques used to study neurology. This presentation was meant to provide the students with a solid basis in the general principles and methods of neuroscience.
After the introduction, the students were taken to different lab technique stations. There were three, each designed to provide hands-on activities and greater insight into the specific neuroscience tools and methods. The first station was an electromyography (EMG) setup, which allowed them to attach electrodes to the muscles in their arms and observe the electrical activity created by contracting their muscles in real time. The electrical signals showed up as waveforms on the screen and let students see the neuromuscular functions.
The second station had to do with neuroanatomy: students got the opportunity to look at mice and macaque brain samples and sections. They were also shown high-resolution images of neurons taken using confocal microscopes, showing the detailed structures and connections in the brain. This station helped students gain a better appreciation of the complexity and beauty of neural tissues and the advanced imaging techniques used in neuroscience research.
The third station was where a DNA extraction exercise from strawberries was done; this served as a hands-on way to introduce students to molecular biology techniques. The activity not only showed the process of DNA extraction but also showed the importance of molecular methods to understand genetic information and their applications in neuroscience.
The workshop, therefore, provided its participants with the comprehensive and interlocking experience of theoretical knowledge and acquisition of the practical skills in neuroscience techniques. Engaging with these activities helped students take away valuable lessons regarding methodologies and tools that are quintessential to neuroscience research and carry forward the interest and understanding of the field.