Day 5

This experience has changed my view on how scientific discovery occurs. It has made me more appreciative of all of the people in the scientific world that very often go unappreciated. My character was impacted by this experience by showing me more paths that I can take in life other than my current vision, so I may explore neuroscience further due to this experience. If I had to do this experience all over again then I would have been more social and exploratory because even though it was a neuroscience camp, it was, after-all, a camp.

For the final day, we went around the rest of the neuroscience section of the OSU campus. They all seemed much quicker than the other ones that we participated in.

For my first lab today we went into a lab that studies the effects of cancer in other body parts on the brain. The researchers in this lab use mice and they were jokingly talking about how they might spare a certain mouse from being 'sacrificed,' which basically just means to kill an organism for scientific data. We also learned how to use the much more sophisticated pipets in the industry, compared to the ones that we use at Davidson. Once we learned the basics we had a race between boys and girls to follow certain instructions and insert certain liquids in certain sections of a wellplate. The competition actually ended in a tie, which was pretty weird.

For my second activity today, my group went to a hospital where people who suffered spinal cord injuries go to rehabilitate themselves. We got to speak with two different patients, one was a result of lupus, and the other was a result of a motorcycle accident. It was very eye-opening experience because we got to see how all of the patients had become much more carefree and embracing of life's experiences. They were outgoing and pursued things with a much more vigorous spirit. This is where I believe my biggest takeaway from the camp lies: that I should not take life for granted, and that I should try out more and different experiences.

For lunch, we had pizza and after that we had a lecture/discussion with one of the heads of the department, and I sadly forget their name. They were very entertaining and engaging, as well as provided a wide array of in-depth answers to all kinds of different college and graduate/medical school related questions.

For our final activity, a patient of the renowned Ali Rezai, MD, named Ian, came into the lecture hall to give the camp an insider view on the experiences of nervous system injury sufferers, and how much it actually affects their quality of life. He suffered an injury after his first year of college at the age of 19, and suffered an injury in the C5/C6 area of his spine. Ian suffered loss of control of his legs, tricep-area, and hands, as well as the loss of sensation in those areas, including partial loss of sensation in some that he even had control of. Although a gloom ending to the summer camp, it was quite inspiring and demonstrated the importance that neuroscience will continue to have in the future of the modern world.

Day 4

Today we were presented to by Dario Motti, Ph.D., although it was initially supposed to be presented by his associate, Brian K. Kaspar, Ph.D., and they are both researchers in Kaspar's laboratory at Nationwide Children's Hospital. He covered his wide range of international experience and the topic of gene therapy. He discussed several very important and groundbreaking cases in which the folks in the lab, as well as other labs around the nation, saved the lives of children and the like. He had to withhold a lot of information about the cases due to legal reasons, and there were so many specifics it is hard to recall what happened. What I recall him telling the lecture group was that they use specific cells as transport mediums for viruses to get to the central nervous system, which is composed of the spinal cord and the brain.

After that, my particular group chilled out and played 'brain games.' It was basically just trivia and identification of the different parts of the brain. There was also a game where we would throw beanbags at a target, then put on goggles that shifted our vision. With those goggles, our brains eventually learned to adjust our tosses at the target, which initially, were completely ruined by the shifted field of view. After our brain adjusted, we would take the goggles off, and find that our toss would be completely off, yet again. This is because of our brains adjustment to the shifted vision, although in the end, our brains readjusted much faster than they initially adjusted.

After lunch, and for the rest of the day, my group ventured off to the retina lab which is under Andy J. Fischer, Ph.D., and what they study about the retina is the regeneration of neural tissue in the eye. They use several different species in their research, such as turtles, fish, mice, and baby chicks. He showed us the neuroscience department's $240,000 microscope which is able to create three-dimensional images on computers, and he told us that those types of microscopes can actually reach the price range of up to $1 million. He is an extremely involved individual and just so incredibly passionate about what he does that I believe that he was the most enticing and interesting professor that I have met so far.

Day 3

Today, we began with a lecture from Gary L. Wenk, PhD. He studies the effect of drugs on the brain, and he used examples of cannabis, caffeine, and heroine and how they affected all of the different types of major neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and acetylcholine. He vouched throughout the lecture for the health benefits of marijuana, which he claimed assist in protection against the development of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, etc. He was a very progressive mind and actually very funnyin his delivery of the lecture, so he was probably the most effective lecturer the camp has had yet.

After that my section of the lecture was sent to a laboratory where transgenic and mutated fish are studied on the development of their brain. The fish are studied because they are very easy to observe compared to mammals. Albeit slightly interesting, this didn't hit a chord with me and I failed to see the appeal in the work, and I definitely wouldn't personally do this myself. All of these professors that we have visited in their laboratories so far understandably do what they do because they are passionate for discovery, as well as the topic, and I can respect that.

Our final scientific adventure today was the veterinary section of the Ohio State University, where we learned about the different types of lab animals, and the most prominent of those being lab rats and mice. I personally couldn't manage these animals, because they constantly urinate and leave poop pellets, and that frankly freaks me out. We were demonstrated the different types of neurological examinations that are performed on the rats and mice to make sure that they are (un)affected by the testing being conducted.

For the rest of the day, we visited the The Shoe, even though it wasn't exactly related to anything we were doing. We visited all of the different types of seating areas as well as the field. Not much else to say about the visit. Oh, and we had ice cream afterwards.

Day 2

Today, began by taking data of how sensitive our personal body parts are, we would take two points and adjust the distance in between them, and close our eyes and decide if it felt like one point or a distinguishable two points. We used this data to create a 'homunculus' which is basically an avatar. The data changed the visuals of the homunculus by making our most sensitive body parts the largest on the avatar, mine being my hands and feet.

After that, we went to a medical center to witness a surgery firsthand. I will not mention anything other than the fact that it was an implantation of an electrode into the brain for a Parkinson's patient, because I'm pretty sure I'm not allowed to. Alongside that, we went into a technical area of the medical center where they demonstrated many different technologies that they are utilizing or will soon begin to utilize to treat patients. The most exciting piece of equipment was the Oculus Rift, which is a virtual reality headset, and we could all experience different scenarios like skiing down a mountain and riding rollercoasters.

After we were finished up at the medical center, we returned to the gathering place in a lecture hall where we were lectured for about an hour by Dr. DeVries and Dr. Bishop, who are also the camp's supervisors. Briefly after they finished, we proceeded to have lunch and then all of the fourty-something students were broken up into 4 groups and we all went to different laboratories that are researching evolving areas of the neuroscience field.

We visited a laboratory that is lead by Dr. Zhou and a band of partners, graduate students, and undergraduate students. They were researching something very unique and unknown, a brain cell called an astrocyte. There are two types of brain cells: one being the neuron, and the other being glia cells. Astrocytes are one of several types of glia. We were the first people to hear and see some of their groundbreaking work. I will not mention any specifics because I don't know if I can. They all seemed very passionate about the work they were doing and I aspire to someday find something that makes me feel the way astrocytes make Dr. Zhou and his peers feel.

Once we returned, we were lectured by the neuroscience department chair, who is also a prominent professor, Randy J. Nelson, PhD. He told us about his project on the topic of blue light and how it negatively affects humans when we are exposed to it at nighttime. He linked blue light to the likes of the increasing obesity and depression rates, as well as much more. This was a very interesting lecture because my mom has always told me how my computer and phone screen are screwing up my eyes, but today I learned that it's even worse than she thinks, so maybe I should listen to her and do something about it.

Day 1

Gabriel Barney

Davidson Capstone 2016-2017

I chose this as my Capstone because it puts a perspective onto the science and math that I have learned throughout my years as a student, and it is a potential candidate for what my future holds.

I hoped to learn what Neuroscience actually envelopes, I wanted to know how it is gone about, not just that is the science of the brain. I think this experience will affect my future and what I will pursue as a career, that is my long-term goal for this experience.

At 8:00 AM today I began my Explorations in Neuroscience summer camp at The Ohio State University in their Graves Hall building. We began with an introduction of the professors that are leading the camp, and then all of the participants shared what school they were from and why the were interested in this camp.

Around 10:00 we had the pleasure of being guest spoken to by Ali Rezai, MD. Apparently he is a very prominent figure in the neuroscience field due to his success as both an innovator and surgeon. He was very informative and managed to make the field seem a lot deeper than the basics that I had already known before I came to the camp that morning. He talked about the many different procedures he has performed, the fifty plus patents he has, and how some of his procedures have altered the lives of his patients. He promptly left around 10:50 due to his flight arrangements which were for a meeting of his in Germany involving anxiety.

Between guest speakers, we had set out to one of the many neuroscience laboratories on campus and we examined human brains, spinal cords, as well as a cadaver. This was all very interesting as the only organ I have ever examined/dissected previously was a cow heart.

After the events at the laboratory, we came back to the starting place of the camp and had another lecture, which was then followed by another guest speaker who works closely alongside Dr. Rezai. Her name was Barbara Changizi, MD and she further showed the effects of her and Dr. Rezai's work with DBS, also known as Deep Brain Stimulation. DBS was explained to us as a remedy that involves surgery that can assist or nearly eliminate symptoms of mental illnesses such as Parkinson's disease, tremors, and multiple sclerosis. After she was finished speaking, the camp came to a close around 4:00PM.