NEPTUN Biography

Circadian rhythms - everyone has one, right? Turns out that some people have rhythms that make them woefully nocturnal (hi), while some people would be better suited for life on another planet. This class is for anyone who HATES waking up early, anyone who's ever felt like they got run over by a bus after hopping some time zones, or anyone who is interested in why exactly the number "24" isn't just a social construct but is woven into our DNA. We'll definitely be getting into some neuroscience and genetics here, but we're also gonna talk about what it's like to live in a cave and whether that sleeping cure your Grandma tells you "works every time" is real or not.

In this class, we'll consider a number of neuropsychiatric conditions across contexts of advantages and disadvantages in function. We'll learn what biology we can about these conditions through neuroscience and genetics, and we'll bring that understanding to light when examining behavior and society. Some focuses will include: Models of disability, neurodevelopmental conditions like ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM-defined personality disorders like Borderline Personality Disorder, the relationship of mood and schizophrenia spectrum disorders and creativity, intrinsic circadian rhythm disorders like Delayed Sleep Phase Disorder, and some additional considerations like synesthesia or Congenital Insensitivity to Pain.

Circadian rhythms - everyone has one, right? Turns out that some people have rhythms that make them woefully nocturnal (hi), while some people would be better suited for life on another planet. This class is for anyone who HATES waking up early, anyone who's ever felt like they got run over by a bus after hopping some time zones, or anyone who is interested in why exactly the number "24" isn't just a social construct but is woven into our DNA. We'll definitely be getting into some neuroscience and genetics here, but we're also gonna talk about what it's like to live in a cave and whether that sleeping cure your Grandma tells you "works every time" is real or not.

"Multiple personalities," hearing color, surviving a rod being blasted through your brain, and more - welcome to a whirlwind tour of neuroscience and abnormal psychology through the things that go wrong.

We're going to cover and discuss a variety of potential topics relating to drugs (illicit and prescription) - their effects on behavior, their action in the brain, and even many of the societal implications of these agents' use and abuse. If there are any questions you might have in particular, feel free to ask! I keep about a third of the class open for questions.

GIMP is a free image editor you can download that is, in most respects, just as powerful as Photoshop! Join this class for a crash course on how to edit cool art for your walls, graphics like the ones you see online, stickers you can print, photos of your enemies jettisoned into space, grungy band photos, or anything you can imagine! After this class, you'll have a few projects you can show off to your friends!

Circadian rhythms - everyone has one, right? Turns out that some people have rhythms that make them nocturnal (hi), while some people have rhythms that better suit them for life on Mars. This class is for anyone who HATES waking up early, anyone who's ever felt like they got run over by a bus after an international flight, or anyone who is interested in why exactly the number "24" isn't just a construct but is woven into our DNA. We'll definitely be getting into some neuroscience and genetics here, but we're also gonna talk about what it's like to live in a cave and whether that sleeping cure your Grandma tells you "works every time" is real or not.

"Multiple personalities," hearing color, surviving a rod being blasted through your brain, and more - welcome to an exploration of neuroscience and abnormal psychology through the things that go wrong. Please be sure to bring any questions you may have relating to psychiatric and neurological disorder!

My absolute guilty pleasure is watching game shows of all kind. Chain Reaction got rebooted? I'm on it. I've probably seen every episode of Cutthroat Kitchen twice. And don't even get me started when the Big Brother live feeds turn on. But I'm sick of just *watching* game shows - - which is why I've devised my own for you all to play. There'll be teams, there'll be challenges, and there may even be prizes. Whatever your thing is - solving puzzles, thinking outside the box, competitive drive... Game on. Featuring challenges from Only Connect and more!

Transportation, infrastructure, zoning, oh my! What if we put a lake there, a Dunkin' Donuts there, or a toxic waste dump here? What do cities need to function - and more importantly, what do they need to be good places to live? In this class, we'll gloss over some of the basics of what urban planning is all about, talk about what we think makes a pretty alright city, and then we'll play a big fun game where we design our own "perfect" city. In our game, you'll be the boss - think preschools and interstates belong adjacent? Want your commute to be via cable car? I guess we'll see!

AKA: Psychopharmacology We're going to cover a variety of potential topics relating to drugs (illicit and prescription) - their effects on behavior, how they work in the brain, and how they affect society. Feel free to bring any questions you may have!

Circadian rhythms - everyone has one, right? Turns out that some people have rhythms that make them nocturnal (hi), while some people have rhythms that better suit them for life on Mars. This class is for anyone who HATES waking up early, anyone who's ever felt like they got run over by a bus after an international flight, or anyone who is interested in why exactly the number "24" isn't just a construct but is woven into our DNA. We'll definitely be getting into some neuroscience and genetics here, but we're also gonna talk about what it's like to live in a cave and whether that sleeping cure your Grandma tells you "works every time" is real or not.

My absolute guilty pleasure is watching game shows of all kind. Chain Reaction got rebooted? I'm on it. I've probably seen every episode of Cutthroat Kitchen twice. And don't even get me started when the Big Brother live feeds turn on. But I'm sick of just watching game shows - - which is why I've created my own for you all to play. There'll be teams, there'll be challenges, and there may even be prizes. Whatever your thing is - solving puzzles, thinking outside the box, competitive drive, cooperation (or manipulation... what?)... Game on.

"Multiple personalities," hearing color, surviving a rod being blasted through your brain, and more - welcome to an exploration of neuroscience and abnormal psychology through the things that go wrong. Please be sure to bring any questions you may have relating to psychiatric and neurological disorder!

Did you grow up trying to catch 'em all? Or are you looking to answer the real questions - is it actually possible for a whale to breed with a cat? Can a creature eat like a plant, or... Breathe fire? Could we actually create an electric yellow mouse in a lab? Make no mistake - this is a class on genetics and a crazy field called synthetic biology, which you've heard of in news stories on "designer babies" and CRISPR, and in movies like Jurassic Park. So let's stretch our imagination and see what biology allows. It'll all start with a woolly mammoth frozen in ice, an elephant uterus, and a really long needle...

So I'm a neuroscience major and all that, yeah, but my absolute guilty pleasure is watching game shows of all kind. Chain Reaction got rebooted? I'm on it. I've probably seen every episode of Cutthroat Kitchen twice. And don't even get me started when the Big Brother live feeds turn on. But why just watch when I can instead mastermind my own "show" for you to play? And I've done just that. There'll be teams, there'll be challenges of all sorts, and there may even be prizes. Whether trivia or solving puzzles is your thing, or you're more of a "creative" brain, you're competitive as all get out, or you just enjoy working with a team (or manipulating them)... Game on.

AKA: Chronobiology Circadian rhythms - everyone has one, right? Turns out that some people have rhythms that make them nocturnal (hi), while some people have rhythms that better suit them for life on Mars. This class is for anyone who HATES waking up early, anyone who's ever felt like they got run over by a bus after an international flight, or anyone who is interested in why exactly the number "24" isn't just a construct but is woven into our DNA. We'll definitely be getting into some neuroscience and genetics here, but we're also gonna talk about what it's like to live in a cave and whether that sleeping cure your Grandma tells you "works every time" is real or not.

AKA: Psychopharmacology We're going to cover and discuss a variety of potential topics relating to drugs (illicit and prescription) - their effects on behavior, their action in the brain, and even societal implications agents can have. About a third of the class is fueled by your questions, so don't hesitate to bring them along!

"Multiple personalities," hearing color, surviving a rod being blasted through your brain, and more - welcome to an exploration through various topics in neuroscience and abnormal psychology. Please be sure to bring any questions you may have relating to psychiatric and neurological disorder!

Are e-cigarettes and marijuana going to destroy today's teenagers? Do vaccines cause autism? Aren't people with mental illness violent? If you've ever wanted to know the answer to any of these questions, I have good news: Scientific literature can help you find it. If you want to be a doctor, a scientist, or just someone who can put their money where their mouth is, you'll need to learn how to think and read like a scientist. And understanding how to read scientific literature is the key to doing so. NOTE: This class is especially for anyone with an interest in biology as that is my chosen field - some of our discussion will revolve around neuroscience and microbiology techniques and data. We're gonna go through a crash course with topics that include how research studies are designed, how to read a scientific article, and what some methods are that scientists use.

AKA: Neuropsychopharmacology We're going to cover and discuss a variety of potential topics relating to drugs (illicit and prescription) - their effects on behavior, their action in the brain, and even societal implications agents can have. If there are any questions you might have in particular, feel free to write them down on a 3x5 card and bring it with you! I keep about a third of the class open for questions.

We're going to cover a variety of topics related to both psychiatric and neurological disorder. Potential topics may include: History of abnormal psychology (Hint: demons and drilling holes in heads) What is schizophrenia and why does it happen? Tasting sounds and hearing color Why do amputees feel pain in limbs that aren't there? Dissociative identity disorder: Having multiple personalities at once Phineas Gage and HM (Or: How to survive a rod through the brain and how to remember when you forget everything)

AKA: Psychopharmacology We're going to cover and discuss a variety of potential topics relating to drugs (illicit and prescription) - their effects on behavior, their action in the brain, and even societal implications agents can have. If there are any questions you might have in particular, feel free to write them down on a 3x5 card and bring it with you!