Adapting a Neural Engineering Summer Camp for High School Students to a Fully Online Experience.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting health and safety concerns caused the cancellation of many engineering education opportunities for high school students. To expose high school students to the field of neural engineering and encourage them to pursue academic pathways in biomedical engineering, the Center for Neurotechnology (CNT) at the University of Washington converted an in-person summer camp to a fully online program (Virtual REACH Program, VRP) offering both synchronous and asynchronous resources. The VRP is a five-day online program that focuses on a different daily theme (neuroscience, brain-computer interfaces, electrical stimulation, neuroethics, career/academic pathways).

Insights into the histology of planarian flatworm Phagocata gracilis based on location specific, intact lipid information provided by GCIB-ToF-SIMS imaging.

Planarian flatworms are known as the masters of regeneration, re-growing an entire organism from as little as 1/279th part of their body. While the proteomics of these processes has been studied extensively, the planarian lipodome remains relatively unknown. In this study we investigate the lipid profile of planarian tissue sections with imaging Time-of-Flight - Secondary-Ion-Mass-Spectrometry (ToF-SIMS).

Alan Alda's If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?: My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating.

A primary function of my role is asking top neuroscientists to write about the latest developments in their specialty areas for lay readers. If they agree to the assignment, I encourage them to use-whenever possible-conversational language, anecdotes, storytelling, and their own voice in communicating what are often complex and hard-to-explain topics. Another option might be to suggest they read Alan Alda's new book before they begin.

Online Teaching Resources about Medicinal Plants and Ethnobotany.

Classroom exploration of plant-based medicines and ethnobotany is a timely and valuable way to engage students in science. This highlights Internet-based resources to help teachers in primary and secondary classrooms incorporate lessons and activities to teach about plant medicines.

New Perspectives on Neuroengineering and Neurotechnologies: NSF-DFG Workshop Report.

Goal: To identify and overcome barriers to creating new neurotechnologies capable of restoring both motor and sensory function in individuals with neurological conditions.

Methods: This report builds upon the outcomes of a joint workshop between the US National Science Foundation and the German Research Foundation on New Perspectives in Neuroengineering and Neurotechnology convened in Arlington, VA, USA, November 13-14, 2014.

Results: The participants identified key technological challenges for recording and manipulating neural activity, decoding, and interpreting brain data in the presence of plasticity, and early considerations of ethical and social issues pertinent to the adoption of neurotechnologies.