Global meeting. Me (upper left – Chile), Étienne (scientific advisor – upper right – Germany), Patricio (my undergraduate thesis advisor (lower left – Chile), and Tim (my supervisor at Backyard Brains – South Korea). These are our thinking faces, not our mad faces.
— Written by Carla Contreras Mena —
Hello! Carla Contreras Mena from Santiago, Chile, here again. Welcome to the conclusion of my work during my internship with Backyard Brains.
Experiment Update
In the last few months, I’ve had to study more about plants. Why? Because, In my daily life in the laboratory, I’m not very familiar with the chemistry of plants, how to take care of them, and other characteristics. But, it’s always very interesting to learn new things.
Why am I reminding you? My home garden currently looks a bit different: More plants, and they grew!
In Chile during this time of the year it’s summer, although during January the temperatures went up a lot. This caused the plants to have a hard time, however, many of them survived and are still giving a lot of data (at least).
The current plants are Chilean Chile, Ornamental Chile, Basil, Creeping Inchplant, Argentian Dollar, Hierba Buena, Mint, Rosemary, Ruda, Tomato, and the Venus Flytrap. You can see my numbers breakdown below, lots of recordings: 192!
Tim and I talking about our experiments at the Peruvian Restaurant “Ajicito” over Ceviche, Maracuya juice and pisco sour
— Written by Carla Contreras Mena —
Hello, I’m Carla Contreras Mena, a student of Biochemistry at the University of Santiago of Chile (which we locally call Usach). I currently work in a Neuroscience Laboratory with professor Dr. Patricio Rojas, where we are investigating the neurophysiological difference of electrical activity in the mouse hippocampus between a control and a model of autism. Here is a picture of my research:
Section of the hippocampus, specifically in the dentate gyrus of a C57BL/6 strain mouse; E = stimulating electrode; R = recording electrode
In search of an internship for my degree, my professor recommended Backyard Brains. In my first meeting with Backyard Brains, I listened a bit about this interesting way to learn electrophysiology in plants and how a simplified amplifier works to learn and teach at the same time.
I decided to learn more about it, so I accepted the offer letter!
Are you a teen or young adult (13-30 years old) who identifies as neurodivergent, ADHD, autistic, or having dyslexia — or do you know someone else who is?
If yes, the opportunity of spending July and August on a paid virtual internship with NeuroVivid could be something you’re looking for. As a co-designer for their museum maker program, you’ll dive into the world of brain differences, circuitry, brain-machine interfaces, coding and more, while helping ensure that the fun is accessible to all.
The internship lasts 8 weeks (from 7/5 through 8/30), but you may get a chance for an additional 15 weeks of internship this fall. The only requirement is a high-speed internet connection as all activities will be conducted online. Note that the deadline for applications is July 1!
NeuroVivid is a program ran by EdGE, a nonprofit ran by research and education enthusiasts whose aim is to broaden the STEM talent pool by empowering middle schoolers to engage in maker activities and make their own EEG headset. It’s funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
