Outreach

Introduction to Neuroscience:

The structure and mechanism of the human brain are incredibly intricate and captivating. Studies have revealed that approximately 1 in 5 people are at risk of developing a neurological disorder, highlighting the importance of furthering our understanding of how the brain functions. Fortunately, delving into the realm of neuroscience does not necessitate being a graduate student at a prestigious university. Backyard Brain offers neuroscience experiment kits that allow individuals of all ages to engage in hands-on learning about electrophysiology. These kits provide students, ranging from schoolchildren to graduate students, with access to similar tools utilized by actual neuroscientists worldwide. By following a few straightforward steps, anyone can personally experience how the brain communicates with our senses, memories, aspirations, and motivations.

In the pursuit of brain-inspired design for wireless communication networks, it is crucial to first comprehend the functioning of the human brain. This understanding serves as a foundational step towards applying its principles to the design of communication networks. A notable aspect of this project involves engaging high-school students, including those with disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder, in STEM fields through interdisciplinary activities encompassing non-Euclidean geometry, engineering, and neuroscience. To accomplish this, outreach activities were planned with high-school students from MDCPS (Miami-Dade County Public Schools). The objective of these activities is to introduce the concept of "brain-inspired engineering solutions" to high-school students. During this visit, two separate workstations were set up, each equipped with neural engineering kits to facilitate the simultaneous execution of two different experiments. The desired learning outcomes associated with each of these experiments are as follows.

Experiment-1: Muscle Action Potential

Students will learn how to record neural activity or motor units from the small interosseous muscles in their hands. In this experiment, we will use the “Muscle SpikerBox” to record the individual muscle action potentials that occur as students contract muscles. This experiment takes advantage of the fact that most of the muscles that control one’s hand are in their forearm. For example, students will move their fingers up and down, which are controlled by the flexor digitorum superficialis and extensor digitorum communis muscles in their forearm. Then students will move their fingers from side to side, which are controlled by the dorsal interossei muscles.

Reference: https://backyardbrains.com/experiments/muscleActionPotential

Experiment-2: Controlling the Claw

Students will learn how to control a claw (a robotic device) using the EMG signals of their muscles. In this experiment, the students will use the “Claw” kit. Students will make a grip with their fist, and the claw's appendages close. If they relax, the claw relaxes too.

Reference: https://backyardbrains.com/experiments/MuscleSpikerShield_GripperHand

In Spring 2023, a visit was made to a high school in Miami-dade county, Miami, FL. A total of 24 students from grade level 10 participated in two-hour long hands-on experiments related to neuroscience. The session began with a short presentation aimed at providing students with ideas on brain-inspired design of wireless communication networks. Following a brief 10-minute presentation, the students were guided to two workstations and organized into small groups of four. Each group had the opportunity to use the kits from both workstations in an alternating manner. The primary objective was to ensure that every student had the chance to conduct the experiments independently. Finally, the students were requested to complete a survey form that included questions regarding their pre-existing knowledge and their level of interest subsequent to engaging in the hands-on experiments.

The bar chart above illustrates the outcome of the survey report. In the first question of the survey form, students were asked whether they have prior knowledge about ‘generation of electrical impulses inside our body by contracting arm muscles (Q1(a))’, ‘servo motor (Q1(b))’, and ‘programming through Arduino microcontrollers (Q1(c))’. Only 5 of the 24 students reported that they had previous knowledge on Q1(a). Interestingly, none of students indicated any familiarity with programming through Arduino microcontroller (Q1(c)).

In the second question, students were asked about their interest in certain topics after their hands-on experiments that day. Those topics were ‘action potentials traveling through our brain and body (Q2(a))’, ‘brain connectivity networks (Q2(b))’, ‘neurodiversity (Q2(c))’, ‘brain-inspired engineering designs (Q2(d))’, ‘programming through Arduino microcontrollers (Q2(e))’, and ‘wireless communication and networks (Q2(f))’. Most of the students (19) expressed that they have keen interest in learning more about Q2(a). Also, 17 of them showed interest in wireless communication and networks (Q2(f)). If we observe the results of first question to second question, we can clearly see that the hands-on experiments have grown lots of interest among those high-school students compared to what they knew previously.  

Overall, it is a very inspiring outcome of the survey. It reflects the true value of performing such experiments in front of the high-school students. Finally, those kits were left at the school so that the students can continue exploring how our brains work beyond such limited-time visits.