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A small Lafayette brain trust recently taught Easton children about neuroscience through demonstrations and hands-on activities.
Laurie Caslake, assistant professor of biology, led psychology major Michael Tuller ’05 (Jamestown, N.Y.) and neuroscience majors Stephanie Giordano ’05 (Blauvelt, N.Y.) and Steve Tanner ’04 (Florence, Ala.) in the non-credit outreach at Third Street Alliance, a shelter for women and their children in downtown Easton.
“Professor Caslake came up with the initial idea to go down there and show them science in a fun way, so they might see that it isn’t just a subject to read about in a book,” says Tuller. “Too often, kids learn things from a book or teacher, but never get to play around with the idea. This was a good opportunity to do that. “
In preparing, the Lafayette group had to figure out how to bring neuroscience down to a level that children between ages 5 to 12 could understand, says Giordano, and devise activities for different age groups.
To teach the children how memory works through repetition, they had them use timers to measure how long it took to finish a maze. The same maze was completed three times each and the results recorded. The older children then graphed the data and analyzed them.
The children also learned how the tiny cells called neurons allow the brain to communicate with the rest of the body. After hearing about the structure of a neuron and seeing a demonstration of how it moves through the body, they made their own models of neurons with pipe cleaners and connected them. “We also worked with some optical illusions to demonstrate how the body can fool you,” says Tuller.
“Dr. Caslake made Jello in the shape of a brain,” says Giordano, “which allowed the children to get an idea about the size and shape of the brain — it also allowed them to have a tasty snack! The children seemed very excited to have us there and eager to learn. By the end of the day, they were giving me hugs and telling me that they hoped I would come again.”
“Te kids really seemed to love these activities,” adds Tuller. “They were interested in what we were saying and learned something in the process. I got a real appreciation for how kids can learn and how the way you approach them can totally change their outlook on it. The kids really responded, but I think we got more out of it than any of them.”
A Marquis Scholar, Giordano says that science was not emphasized at her elementary school, and the experience was a gratifying way to share concepts she has learned in the last two years at Lafayette. “I had a lot of fun working with the children and I hope to do it again in the future,” she says.
This summer, Giordano conducted research as an EXCEL Scholar with Caslake in the molecular biology lab, studying antibiotic resistance in bacteria from a polluted lake. She is continuing research this semester through an independent study course.
Tuller is continuing an EXCEL Scholars project he started this summer with Jeannine Pinto, assistant professor of psychology, on people’s visual perception of others.