Free NeuroRobots Teacher Workshop for Michiganders: Grab Your Spot Today!
It spins, wiggles or beeps when it detects certain colors and shapes. It chases or runs away from objects. It learns and solves problems, and does it all much like your own brain: thanks to neural networks comprising of neurons, synapses and an occasional shot of dopamine to reinforce this or that behavior. High school teachers of Michigan, say hello to the NeuroRobot (a.k.a. the SpikerBot)!
This little guy has been in the works for some time now, so you’ll get to test it along with a corresponding curriculum in a free 6.5-hour professional development workshop on Saturday, May 25, 2024, at the Michigan Science Center in Detroit. Then, you’ll be able to bring the curriculum back into your classroom and implement it! We already ran this workshop in NYC earlier this year, with 30 NeuroRobots scampering off to the classrooms and a big waiting list as a result. Our point? Space is limited and it’s first come, first served, so you’ll want to secure your spot as quickly as possible.
What’s nesting under the charming hardware is a computer simulation of our biological brains. You can build and bust neural networks through an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, without writing a single line of code. We already tested it with a big cohort of high-schoolers and published our findings. Even in its earlier, less sophisticated iteration (which sported googly eyes and then sunglasses), the NeuroRobot yielded amazing results. The students not only understood the key concepts of neuroscience, but also showed increased levels of confidence and competence in a post-workshop survey! They brought the message home: neuroscience is for everyone indeed.