Belated Congrats to our own Neena Saha! (Dec. 11th.)

A shortly belated congrats to our lab’s very own Neena Saha (now DR Neena Saha) on her successful defense and awarding of her doctorate degree! It was a whirlwind month or so for us, we went from business as usual to discovering that she was planning to finish off her degree early and move out of state at the end of the year. It felt like the time just rushed by us and I’m sure Dr. Saha felt the same way.

She had a small defense with her committee on December 11th and left shortly after, but we here at the lab got our chance to celebrate with her before and after. We couldn’t be happier for her and wish her more luck in her future endeavors than we can put into words.

Three Cheers for Katherine Aboud for the Successful Defense of her Dissertation!

 

On October the 22nd, (very soon to be Doctor) Katherine Aboud successfully defended her thesis dissertation to a crowd of both EBRL members, members of the public, and her committee members alike! We couldn’t be happier for her and are more than excited to continue to see her excel! A long time member of EBRL, Katherine will be continuing her stellar work with us as a post-doctoral fellow!

 

 

 

 

(Thank you to Katie White for spotting an error on the original post of this, which has now been corrected.) 

EBRL’s Tin Nguyen Awarded for His Research!

 

Members of the Mind Science Foundation pitch competition awarded Education and Brain Research Lab’s own Tin Nguyen the Tom Slick Research Award in Consciousness on the evening of October the 15th! This seed money will go towards his future research and will be an amazing stepping stone towards his future career! Here the lab we couldn’t be happier for him and we are more than excited to see where he goes in the future!

Tin’s research involves investigating what makes certain children from poverty more resilient and thrive academically and others not. He hopes that understanding what makes certain children more resilient can be a first step towards mitigating the negative impacts of childhood poverty.

 

Read more here. 

BrainStorm Neuroscience Pitch Competition, EBRL Asks: What Creates Resiliency in Children in Poverty? (Oct.15)

(The following has been a reduced version of an article first posted here.)

Join members of the Education Brain and Research Laboratory and the Mind Science Foundation for a night of science driven by brilliant young researchers! Three teams will pitch their brain research projects as they compete for their shot at a $60,000 pot. Illusionist Mark Mitton will be watching over the proceedings as well as lending his own particular magic to the event as audience members cast their votes and decide who takes home the top prize of $30,000!

The second annual BrainStorm Neuroscience Pitch Competition is Oct. 15 at the Pearl Stable and begins with a member reception at 5:30 p.m. before the 6:30 p.m. program. This event is open to the public with purchase of a ticket and is free for Mind Science Foundation members.

The purpose of the Foundation’s research funding program is to improve health and well-being in humankind through scientific advances in the study of consciousness. This year, finalists’ work can: provide a deeper understanding of the brain’s role in providing resilience in children raised in poverty, use virtual reality as a treatment for anxiety disorders, and “hack” brain systems using mindfulness meditation to strengthen personal traits of self-control and autonomy.

What is the contribution of EBRL you might ask? Well, the research team of Laurie Cutting, Stephanie Del Tufo, and Tin Nguyen from EBRL seek to find an answer to the question: What creates resiliency in children raised in poverty?

Children from poverty have less access to health care and nutrition, as well as limited academic support. These experiences often result in poor classroom performance, and in the most extreme cases, academic failure. Yet despite living in poverty, some children manage to thrive and excel in school. These children are thought to have resilience, and for the purposes of this study, by demonstrating positive academic outcomes despite living in poverty. Graduate student Tin Nguyen’s pitch seeks to provide a deeper understanding of the relationships between resilience, brain structure, and enriching home reading environments in children subject to adversity or poverty. Understanding what makes children resilient can be a first step towards mitigating the negative impacts of childhood poverty.

Join EBRL at VKC Science Day on Tues., Sept. 17, 2019

Fans of science and psychology can join members of the Education and Brain Research Lab at Vanderbilt Kennedy Center’s Science Day. The annual promotion and gathering of scientific minds gives those within the Kennedy Center a chance to exchange ideas and interact with each other’s research. Events will include a keynote address, two poster sessions, as well as lunch and a closing wine and cheese reception.

 

Find out more details here and register to attend (closes Thurs. Sept. 12) at the VKC website:

https://vkc.mc.vanderbilt.edu/vkc/scienceday/

Congratulations 2019 Vanderbilt Graduates!

MVIMG_20190510_123930

EBRL is very proud to be the home to a large amount of talented individuals. Over time sadly those people may come and go, but we are always overjoyed to celebrate their successes along the way. This is the start of so many wonderful things for so many people in our lab and we couldn’t be happier for them.

IMG_8459

IMG_8456

FullSizeRender

Congratulations 2019 graduates! Onwards ever higher!

Join EBRL on your feet on National Walking Day! (4/3/19)

Jump up on your feet and get your steps in today! The first Wednesday in April is National Walking Day! Here at Vanderbilt we got out and took a short break from doing research to go and stretch our legs with a good long walk!

IMG_5346

As we all know, exercise and especially walking is good for your health and especially good for your brain! So we all hope you got to get out and enjoy the weather and take a good long walk with your friends and family!

IMG_5352

You never know who you might run into!

Dr. Laurie Cutting to guest Lecture at Ohio State (4/14/19)

Dr. Laurie Cutting to Lecture at Ohio State University’s Science Sundays’ Lecture Series

Find out more about her lecture and future Science Sunday lectures at the event page here: https://ccbbi.osu.edu/events/science-sundays

Mirroring the information provided there here:

Science Sundays

Basic RGB

Sunday, April 14, 2019 – 3:00pm to 5:00pm
Ohio Union U.S. Bank Conference Theatre
Educational Neuroscience: How the Brain Supports Learning in Children and Adolescents
Lecture: 3-4 p.m.
Lecture Venue: Ohio Union U.S. Bank Conference Theatre

The lecture is followed by a free, informal reception.
Reception: 4-5 p.m.
Reception Venue: Ohio Union Ohio Staters Traditions Room
Science Sundays is a FREE public lecture series offered and supported by The Ohio State University College of Arts and Sciences and its sponsoring science centers. Speakers are leading experts in their fields dedicated to making their work interesting and accessible for audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
Science Sundays brings leading-edge work directly to the public with lectures covering diverse topics in science, arts and technology that touch our everyday lives.
For more information on SCIENCE SUNDAYS visit: asc.osu.edu/science-sundays

Brain Blast 2019: The Aftermath

Brain Blast 2019 was an outstanding success for EBRL!

IMG952573

574440175 574440185 IMG952577

The team was there, bright and early before all of the patrons, setting up our stations, a fun journey through the reading brain. We brought our handy-dandy “portable MRI” so the kids could all see what it was like to be a part of one of our research studies, and played they scanner noises so people could know what an MRI sounded like. Then, they got to color their way through each part of the reading network, and play a fun game for each part! At the very end, they got to even make their own reading network. The day was filled with fun and learning about the brain and the visitors never stopped!

IMG_20190316_131006 IMG_20190316_131010 IMG_20190316_131222 MVIMG_20190316_130748 MVIMG_20190316_131014

PANO_20190316_130254.vr

 

Not to worry if you missed the event this year, there’s always the next! We will definitely be there!