Splash Biography

Have you ever played football or another contact sport? Have you ever gotten a concussion as a result? In "The Neuroscience Underlying Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and Concussions" we will learn about what happens to our brains when they are concussed, and why concussions can be dangerous. We will also learn more about different types of TBIs and what can cause them. In the second part of this class, "The Neuroscience and Psychology of Stress", we will answer the questions of: what happens to our brains and bodies when we experience stress? What are certain factors that can make us more likely to experience chronic stress? We will also be examining how stress, imposter syndrome, and self-fulfilling prophecies are linked--and methods of mitigating them.

Join us on a brief dive into the world of neuroscience! Our course consists of two 30-minute sections: The Neuroscience of Movement and Brain-Computer Interfaces. Neuroscience of Movement: Have you ever been hungry in the middle of the night and found yourself moving almost unconsciously from your homework to the fridge? But, have you ever consciously thought about which muscles to tense and which to relax so that you don’t fall down on your way to your snack? This course will cover the neuroscience of body movements, walking you through how our nervous system choreographs the complex and highly coordinated movements necessary for voluntary movement. Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI): Picture a prosthetic arm that can wave and pick up objects, controlled simply by your thoughts. Or, imagine thinking “left” and seeing a video game character move towards the left side of your screen. These are examples of emerging brain-computer interfaces, many of which are currently being developed or have already been built! This course covers the fundamentals of brain-computer interfaces and discusses their exciting new applications.