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High School Outreach

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent cancellation of the 2021 Iowa Brain Bee competition, the Iowa Brain Bee is instead focusing its energy and resources on outreach. For the 2020-21 academic year, we are offering free virtual presentations on neuroscience topics for Iowa high school students. Presentations are delivered by University of Iowa PhD student volunteers and are geared toward a high school audience with little previous exposure to neuroscience. Each presentation lasts approximately 30 minutes, and we recommend scheduling an additional 10-15 minutes at the end for questions.

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Iowa high school educators interested in hosting a presentation should contact the University of Iowa Neuroscience Graduate Program at grad-neuroscience@uiowa.edu with the presentation title(s) they would like to request. Please direct any questions to this address as well.  Presentations are available to any educator in the State of Iowa, regardless of subject taught or institutional affiliation.

Presentations

The presentations below are currently available for request:

Cut and Paste: How Genetics have Altered the World of Neuroscience
Presenter: Emma Thornburg

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Imagine a world where we can grow brains in a laboratory, where we can cure diseases with one drug, or even erase bad memories. Neurogenetics has opened the door for all of these possibilities. This presentation will take a deep-dive into the new technologies that are being developed, such as lab-grown mini-brains and different gene therapies, along with covering some of the basics of neurobiology and neurogenetics!

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Topics covered: basic neuron biology and genetics, what makes neurons different from other cells in the body, limitations of animal research, mini-brains, the CRISPR system, and implications for these therapies

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Chemical Warfare: How nerve cells communicate 
as told by the toxins and poisons that stop them

Presenter: William Milanick

 
For us to think, feel, and move, our nerve cells must communicate. Here we will learn the basics of nerve cell communication and interactively explore the effects of different toxins/poisons on the system and how they could be counteracted.
 

Topics covered: nerve cell communication at the neuromuscular junction, including the function of neurotransmitters, receptors, and enzymes – and how chemicals such as Novichok and Poison Dart Frog toxins block certain functions​

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100% Mortality: The Virus That Always Wins
Presenter: Ryan Betters 


Of the six deadliest infections on Earth, five directly attack the central nervous system. They come from all walks of life: from brain-eating amoeba to unstoppable prion cascades. What defenses does the brain use to protect itself, and how does a disease like rabies always win?
 

Topics covered: types of infectious agents and general outline for each in the context of the nervous system (viral, bacterial, fungal, prionic, and protozoal); the function of the blood brain barrier; the rabies virus (prevalence, transmission, symptoms, prognosis, and treatment)

 

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Becoming a Brain Detective: An Inside Look into Brain Disease
Presenter: Kimberly Fiock 


Do you like solving puzzles? If so, neuropathology might be the field for you! This introduction to brain disease will cover the normal appearance of the brain and the cells inside it before showing you what disease actually looks like and revealing how pathologists use the disease’s clues to solve the diagnosis.
 

Topics covered: definition of neuropathology (brain disease); pathology terminology; careers in neuropathology; basic histology (cell morphology & types of stains); basic neuroanatomy (both gross & microscopic); pathologic presentation of diseases (neurodegenerative, tumors); example cases

 
 

Brainwashing Chemicals
Presenter: Amanda Bullert
 
Toxins, pollutants, and chemicals. Oh, my! We interact with various chemicals daily, but how do they affect our brain? To bridge the gap between the environment and our brains we will explore the many chemicals we encounter, how they affect our brains, and what we can do to prevent our brains from being affected.
 

Topics covered: environmental chemicals that affect the brain, where do these chemicals come from, how do they get into our brains, and what can we do about it

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Epilepsy: When Brain Communication Goes Awry
Presenters: Katelyn Joyal & Alex Petrucci

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Did you know that your brain is kind of like a battery -- it runs on electricity! The cells in your brain communicate electrically, but what happens when it has a power surge? When all your brain cells try to talk at once you have a seizure. In this presentation, we will talk about different types of seizures, why they happen, how we can treat them, why they can be dangerous, and how we study them.

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Topics covered: electrical properties of the brain; how neurons communicate; when neuronal communication gets out of control; basic seizure and epilepsy types; epilepsy treatments; sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP); studying seizures in animals

 


Eye Spy the Neuroscience of Vision
Presenter: Carolina Deifelt Streese

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How do brains make sense of a complicated visual world? This presentation explores how brains take light waves and transform them into the visual experiences we have every day. Using visual illusions and curious disorders of vision as examples, this presentation explains both the discoveries we have made and the mysteries that remain unsolved.

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Topics covered: the eye; neuroanatomy of vision; cellular organization of visual cortex; basic visual processing and related disorders; dorsal and ventral processing pathways; higher-order processing and related disorders (motion, color, objects, faces); blindsight

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Making Sense of Sensory Processing and Synesthesia
Presenter: Timothy Skog

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The human brain encounters an incredible amount of information each day, most of which we never perceive! This presentation dives into how the brain makes sense of the world while sitting inside the dark skull. This will frame our discussion of how some people hear colors or taste sounds.

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Topics covered: basic themes in sensory processing; sensory systems in the brain; sensation versus perception; what is synesthesia; current theories about the neurobiology of synesthesia; what it is like to live as a synesthete

 


We Study Neuroscience Because We ARE Neuroscience:

The Path to Graduate School
Presenter: Sydney Houlton 


Neuroscience is a broad realm consisting of different areas such as cellular processing, molecular genetics, addiction, pharmacology, cognitive psychology....The list goes on. The path to graduate school can be very tricky, but if you know it is right for you, GO FOR IT! I will share my story of what inspired me to become a neuroscientist and some guidelines that helped get me here. 

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Topics covered: spiffing up your resume, looking for mentors, what interests you, reach out for information; My Story: personal inspiration for going into neuroscience, don't let hurdles get in your way

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Mock Iowa Brain Bee

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Get a feel for the competition and some extra practice for next year's Iowa Brain Bee! This presentation runs through an abridged version of the competition, including real questions from previous years. It is best suited for students with some neuroscience knowledge.

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Topics covered: Iowa Brain Bee competition format; mock Round 1 and Round 2; U.S. Championship competition format

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