“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” So begins our country’s Declaration of Independence. While we have learned that this preamble is all too simple in the context of wider society, consider the most basic interpretation of this sentiment; at the precise moment of a child’s birth, broader circumstances […]
November
23
Science and S’mores: SciCommCamp 2017
posted by Samantha Jones, PhD
SciCommCamp can be best described as a not-so-average conference for a diverse group of fabulously nerdy science communicators with a common goal: to make science publicly accessible. I left SciCommCamp with pep in my step and a bit more confidence in my planned post-graduate school transition out of academia and into a career in science […]
November
16
Breaking Rad: The story behind “Rad Scientist”
posted by Margot Wohl
A year and change ago, I decided to start making podcasts – those on demand audio files that our parents and grandparents have trouble finding. I wanted to produce audio stories that capture the amazing science happening in the San Diego area. And I wanted these stories to focus on the scientists themselves and […]
November
09
SfN 2017 NeuWriter Picks!
posted by megkirch
You’ve probably heard about music festivals like Coachella, ACL and Bonnaroo: these are multi-day extravaganzas where thousands of individuals converge to sample from an elaborate menu of musical acts. As an attendee, you would likely be constantly shuffling back and forth across the festival grounds, trying to see as many of your favorite artists as […]
November
02
Fact or Fiction: False Memories from Replicants to Rituals
posted by James R. Howe VI
Mild spoilers for the film Blade Runner 2049 follow. In Blade Runner’s world, it is the year 2049, and Earth looks substantially different than in 2017. Our fair city of San Diego is a literal garbage dump, crops are unable to grow outdoors, a single corporation dominates all agriculture and industry. The skies of […]
October
26
Engaged teaching and learning: Ready, set, action!
posted by Melissa Troyer
[En español] When I first signed up for formal training in best teaching practices from UCSD’s Center for Engaged Teaching, I thought I would learn good techniques for imparting knowledge to students. What I actually learned about was how to help students build their own knowledge, particularly through incorporating active learning in the classroom. Here […]
October
19
To sleep, perchance to roam
posted by Barbara Spencer
You jolt awake, sensing a presence in your room. Heart racing, you open your eyes and the figure comes into focus. Her glassy eyes seem to stare right through you. You sigh thinking, “not again,” and take your sleepwalking child back to bed. In the middle of the night, I go walking in my […]
October
05
Science for All: Shifting Academic Communication at ComSciCon
posted by Samantha Jones, PhD
“Whose advisor is unhappy that they’re here today?” asked Leanne Chukoskie, an assistant research scientist at the Institute for Neural Computation at UC San Diego and an affiliate of the Qualcomm Institute. Looking around at a sea of raised hands, she continued, “Know that the act of writing clearly for the public and preparing well […]
September
28
Dopamine is NOT your brain’s reward chemical
posted by Drew Schreiner
Dopamine is NOT your brain’s reward chemical. Or rather, dopamine is not JUST your brain’s reward chemical, nor is it your brain’s ONLY reward chemical.
September
21
Scratch that itch
posted by Elena Blanco-Suarez, Ph.D.
[En español] One of the greatest pleasures in life is to scratch an itch – in both the real and figurative sense. Although scratching an itch provides immediate (albeit temporary) relief, it may actually trigger the mechanism that makes us itch. So the more we scratch, the itchier we get, turning the short-lived pleasure into a […]
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