The BraiNY Bunch is Back! Join Us!
Written by Camila Demaestri
We are thrilled that our virtual BraiNY Bunch Journal Club will continue to run through the 2021 – 2022 academic year! Our BraiNY founders, Drs. Cohen and Meyer are moving onto new opportunities and turning over BraiNY management to two new BraiNY members. Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Jocelyn Breton and graduate student Camila Demaestri are excited to be joining the team! In case you missed it, we just kicked off the year with an Open House where we introduced our BraiNY Bunch roles and spoke about how to find, read, and present a scientific article. The powerpoint slides and Open House recording are linked here for presenters and attendees to use as a resource!
The BraiNY Bunch virtual journal club was founded in August 2020 by two Postdoctoral Fellows in New York City, Dr. Heidi Meyer and Dr. Alexandra (Ali) Cohen (see blog post). In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Meyer and Dr. Cohen sought a way to stay connected and promote scientific discussions for young neuroscientists. They created the BraiNY Bunch to encourage individuals of all backgrounds to engage in science from an early age. Since August 2020, we have reached over 300 participants from around the world including the United States, Montréal, Spain, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Japan, Turkey, India and more! Our attendees include people from all educational levels - no prior scientific training is needed! In past meetings, we’ve discussed a broad scope of topics including social memory, the role of dopamine in associative learning, and how anxiety impoverishes our prefrontal attentional control. We can’t wait to talk about more exciting science this semester!
Our growing community of scientists is always welcoming new participants. There are several ways that you can participate, and we hope you’ll join us for our 2021 – 2022 academic year. As an avid scientist, regardless of your age or educational background, you can help us communicate science to the broader community. Through a collective effort, our goal is to engage with our community and provide access to accurate information about how the brain functions. We learn to think critically, reflect on the interpretation of scientific results, and consider the implications the results have on our community.
First and foremost, we are hoping to expand our audience! As an attendee, your job is to read the assigned academic paper and come to our monthly meeting to tell us your thoughts and bring up any questions you had. Individuals of all ages and from all backgrounds are welcome!
As a presenter, you will work with another student to pick, read, understand, and present a scientific article. You will NOT be alone in this! One of our BraiNY Bunch mentors will work closely with you throughout the entire process. Our goal is to learn as a team, and connect with other scientists in an informal, fun, collaborative, and inclusive setting. We are seeking presenters who are either in high-school or early in their undergraduate degree. No prior coursework or experience is needed!
As a mentor, you will support our students in the preparation of their scientific presentation. For this role, you must have at least a Bachelor’s degree.
As a coordinator, you will work with our BraiNY Bunch leaders, Camila Demaestri and Dr. Jocelyn Breton to coordinate the monthly event and ensure that the discussion runs smoothly. You must have at least a Bachelor’s degree to sign up as a coordinator.
To participate in any capacity, fill out the google form. Attendees will receive an email with that month’s paper and zoom link prior to the events.
2020-2021 schedule:
Meeting time: 12:00-1:00 EST
· September 26th – Open House (see slides).
· October 3rd – Journal Club
· November 7th – Journal Club
· December 5th – Journal Club
· January 9th – Journal Club
· February 6th – Journal Club
· March 6th – Journal Club
· April 3rd – Journal Club
· May 1st – Journal Club
Hope to see you soon!
BraiNY Bunch Team