Public Engagement

Thirst for Knowledge

I was the director for Thirst for Knowledge (2019-2021), a group which hosts monthly science talks at a local pub. This is an initiative between the University of Otago and Otago Museum in Dunedin, New Zealand to bring science out of the lecture halls and engage the public. We host monthly talks hosting Senior Lecturers and Professors from a range of departments including Geology, Nutrition, Anatomy, Marine Science, and more!

The Inflatable Brain! Science workshops for kids

This big brain is sure to get kids (and adults!) attention! This interactive, inflatable brain can be taken to local primary schools, libraries, and museums. In partnership with the Brain Health Research Centre at the University of Otago, I have participated in several workshops teaching kids about the brain, brain diseases, and what to do to keep a healthy brain!

Expanding Your Horizons (EYH)

I am committed to maintaining an active scientific outreach program in which I can incorporate my research. One such example is an annual workshop at Expanding Your Horizons (EYH), a conference for 7th-9th grade girls that encourages girls to explore careers in STEM fields. For the past six years I have helped organize and lead a hands-on comparative neuroscience workshop for EYH at Cornell. In the first part of the workshop, we perform sheep brain dissections and compare them to images of human brains to teach about conserved brain morphology and why we might see similar behaviors in different animals. In the second half, myself, along with several other graduate students, have the girls rotate through several different “stations” where we expose them to various aspects of our neuroscience careers. For instance, in my station “Meet the Animals,” I have demonstrated how I study behavior in the zebra finches and we discuss about how and why I study their brain. Other stations have included looking at brain sections under a microscope, holding a real human brain, and watching a demonstration of recording brain activity in live animals.