The Scripps College Academy (SCA) is a nationally recognized, intensive college access and success program. SCA Scholars are young women in high school in Southern California who have a financial need, will be the first generation in their family to attend college, or are enrolled in target schools. I had the opportunity to present virtual workshops to SCA Scholars during the pandemic (2021, 2022): Studying Neuroscience through the Social Lives of Fish. In Fall 2023, I am mentoring a team of scholars (“The Mighty Fish Brains”) doing original hormones and behavior research with the fish.

 

Foundations of Neuroscience professors Drs. Stacey Wood, Tom Borowski, Brian Keely, and I (Spring 2021) co-wrote a public science article published on Salon.com about how catfishers online exploit basic human neuroscience. Check out the article here!

 

The SACNAS chapter at the 5Cs organized a research lab crawl for students to meet professors doing research and see their labs. The Solomon-Lane lab and fish room was one of the stops for the 2019 event!

 

The Professional Development Committee supports the professional success of diverse Society members, promotes inclusion and belonging, and hosts events led by professionals. Along with Dr. Christina Ragan, we established a Professional Development Workshop at the annual meeting of the Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology, which is now a permanent part of the meeting program. I have organized the Workshop, (co)led workshop sessions, and served as a panelist at workshop sessions. Planning for the 2024 meeting is already in the works!

Dual keynote by Drs. Kelli Duncan (Vassar College, pictured) and Colin Saldanha at the 2019 meeting hosted at the University of Indiana, Bloomington.

 

I was funded by the BEACON Center to spearhead a collaborative effort to expand and improve public engagement. Together with with Drs. Alexa Warwick (Michigan State), Travis Hagey (Michigan State), and Hans Hofmann (UT Austin), I developed evidence-based training workshops for graduate students and postdocs to engage effectively. Our innovative approach aimed to recruit, motivate, and train scientists, and then pair them with existing engagement programs to put their training to action. The long-term goal is to incorporate engagement skills and experience into the academic curriculum. STEM public engagement benefits both the pubic and the scientist! For scientists, engaging can improve communication, teaching, and leadership skills and enrich scientific understanding, within and beyond one’s own field. For the public, interactions with scientists can build trust and support, promote diversity in STEM fields, and increase interest, curiosity, and literacy. Check out my blog posts to learn more about what we did:

 

 

The Shadow a Scientist program pairs middle school students with a scientist at the University of Texas at Austin. The students get to observe first hand what it is like to be a scientist in a research area of their interest! The program is run by Dr. Greg Clark. Find out more on the Shadow a Scientist website.

 

Nerd Nite hosts speakers who are experts on themes of all kinds. During a special SXSW Brain Games edition of Nerd Nite, in collaboration with National Geographic, I explored the world of animal behavior research to uncover the biological basis of social behavior and its consequences. Learn more about Nerd Nite Austin or find a Nerd Nite in your hometown!

 

Science Under the Stars is a free, monthly science lecture series for the public. It was founded and organized by graduate students in the Department of Integrative Biology at University of Texas at Austin. Since 2009, SUTS has hosted over 30 speakers! I spoke to members of the public and the UT community on March 12, 2015. Find out more on the SUTS website.

 

They Blinded Me with Science is a radio show on KVRX 97.1, the student-run radio station of University of Texas at Austin. DJs Ganglion, R Nought, and Chrysalis host science news and speakers once a week, Mondays at 8:30 pm. Listen to my interview on March 9, 2015!

 

This year-round initiative matches volunteers (students, faculty, and staff) from Atlanta Universities/Colleges, including Georgia State University, Emory University, Georgia Tech, Morehouse College, Agnes Scott College, and Spelman College, with K-12 educators. Many of the elementary, middle, and high schools serve students underrepresented in science. Volunteers lead activities about neuroscience, share ongoing research, and advocate for careers in science. Volunteers are often requested by the same schools and teachers, year after year! I personally visited 37 schools and ~2,250 students. I also organized Georgia State and ACSfN volunteers for the Fernbank Museum of Natural History’s Science at Hand Day (2011-2013). More than 1,200 people visit the museum every year for this great community science event!

Note: student faces have been blurred out of respect for privacy. Captions (top left to bottom right): -Science at Hand Day at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History. With Devaleena Pradhan, Ariana Tamvacakis, and me (left to right). -Using Play-Doh to “build-a-brain.” Touch-a-Brain: -High school students taking pictures of a real human brain I am holding. They have the opportunity to examine it up close and even touch it! -Colleague Devaleena Pradhan (left) compares and contrasts brain models with student on a joint middle school visit. -Middle school students examine a paramedian section of a real human brain. -Georgia Governor Nathan Deal proclaims March the official Brain Awareness Month