Every Tuesday we show 3 TED Talks on our wall sized screen organized around a common theme.

This weeks theme: The Mind

Gero Miesenboeck reengineers a brain In the quest to map the brain, many scientists have attempted the incredibly daunting task of recording the activity of each neuron. Gero Miesenboeck works backward -- manipulating specific neurons to figure out exactly what they do, through a series of stunning experiments that reengineer the way fruit flies perceive light.

Dan Gilbert asks, Why are we happy? Harvard psychologist Dan Gilbert says our beliefs about what will make us happy are often wrong -- a premise he supports with intriguing research, and explains in his accessible and unexpectedly engaging talk.

VS Ramachandran on your mind Vilayanur Ramachandran tells us what brain damage can reveal about the connection between celebral tissue and the mind, using three startling delusions as examples.

Are you interested in the brain, the mind, and the intersection of neuroscience and cognitive psychology? We're in an amazing time of starting to understand some of the ways the brain works. Join us for a few videos and discussion about some of the most interesting new developments. Let's build a community of Neurogeeks here in Oregon!

Neurogeeks is a (now monthly!) meetup for people interested in neuroscience, cognitive psychology, technology and the mind. Our meetups address a range of related topics at a "TEDTalk" or Nova level of complexity. Our goal is to build a community of people interested in the brain in Portland.

This month, we'll be discussing various ways scientists and "life-hackers" are trying to enhance brain function and essentially make people "smarter." Lots of interesting avenues of discussion!

For more information, join the meetup and RSVP.

For our April meetup, speaker Lily Pacheko, the coordinator of SPARK at OHSU, a landmark autism research project across 21 clinical sites, will present a brief history of autism, autism research, and talk about the SPARK study.

SPARK stands for 'Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research for Knowledge,' and the mission is simple: to speed up research and advance our understanding of autism to help improve lives.

Autism, or autism spectrum disorder, refers to a range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication, as well as by unique strengths and differences. (read more).

Understanding autism gives us a greater understanding of the brain and how epigenetic factors like hormones in the womb affect our brains' development.

Lily Pacheco, MA. is the SPARK study coordinator at OHSU. For the past few years Lily has worked in diverse communities to recruit and collect data for numerous research studies. If you are interested in volunteering with SPARK through OHSU, contact Lily at (503) 949-6478 or email her at [email protected] to ask about volunteer opportunities.

Join and RSVP here: https://www.meetup.com/NeuroGeeks-Neuroscience-Meetup-Group/events/238447403/

Wonder why we do what we do (or why OTHER people do what they do)? Andy from the Brain Science Seminar will be presenting about how motivation works in the brain.

Historically, the study of human consciousness was often considered to be outside the scope of scientific inquiry. Thanks to recent advances in brain imaging techniques and the development of various methods for manipulating consciousness in the lab, the scientific study of consciousness is now recognized as a mainstream topic of research within the cognitive neurosciences. In this talk Dr. Pitts will outline some of the recent progress in the field... Please RSVP at Meetup.com.

Join us to learn about how alcohol affects the brain's decision-making (spoiler alert: not so great decision-making can happen!) along with how sex differences in the brain may have an effect on how this plays out.

Neurogeeks May Meetup features Dr Serena Saturn from University of Portland. Learn how social connection impacts neurophysiology.

Calorie restriction has been associated with greater longevity, how does that affect the brain? Gail Stonebarger is currently collaborating with the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to determine whether calorie restriction (CR) of 30% is able to delay or slow brain aging in rhesus macaque monkeys. Previously, CR has been shown in various species to enhance cognition and metabolic function, extend lifespan, and, in this population, extend healthspan. In this talk, Gail will discuss normal and pathological brain aging, the unique population of very old monkeys housed at the NIA, what effects CR has on the brain, and will also include future directions of this research.

Hello Knowledge Mavens,

Due to the safety concerns of COVID-19, we are canceling and will consider rescheduling this event at a later date.

Thank you for understanding. Garrett

UX Book Club PDX is back! Tell your friends and colleagues! This will be a good one for practitioners of all experience levels.

Joe Leech, author of Psychology for Designers, will be joining us for Q+A and a lunch-hour virtual discussion.

Joe has generously offered his book as a free download: https://mrjoe.uk/download-the-book/

At 69 pages, it's a quick read. So give it a gander and come with questions!