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BIDDEFORD, Maine

UNE scholars encourage careers in neuroscience to students at Biddeford Intermediate School

On June 5th, 2009 several members of the University of New England's Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences (CEN) accompanied Professor Ed Bilsky, Ph.D., center director,  to Biddeford Intermediate School to participate in their career day.

It was an opportunity to expose students to potential career paths that they might not have otherwise considered. Professor Bilsky discussed the steps he took to build a career in neuroscience, explaining to the students how he started with an interest in science at a young age. He went on to discuss his current job as a professor at UNE and his work in pharmacology with a focus in pain management and addiction.

The question and answer session proved interesting, with the fourth and fifth graders asking about a variety of topics related to careers in the biomedical sciences and the actions that drugs have on the brain.

Bilsky noted, "This age group has an innate interest in how things work and they are not shy about asking sophisticated questions. It is critical that we foster this interest in science early on in the K-5 classrooms and use the local expertise of the university to help the teachers."

To promote the growing neuroscience program, UNE graduates Alex Skorput and Denise Giuvelis, along with current student Cristina Healy, led an in-class experiment that demonstrated how the brain processes various types of visual information.  The activity was based on the Stroop Effect, a measure of reaction time for both easy and more complex visual tasks. Students were first given a set of color words, where the color of the ink matched the written word:

Green   Blue    Red

Students were asked to name the colors out loud as fast as they could, and were scored by their peers on accuracy and time to completion. The students were then given a set of additional cards where the ink color did not match the written word, and were again asked to name the colors as fast as they could.

Green   Blue   Red

The activity demonstrated the difficulty that the brain has in processing and reconciling two similar but different types of visual information. The students on average took almost three times as long to complete the second task.

Groups of students then tried variations of the experiment, including putting the cards upside down so that the word itself was not immediately recognizable. One aspiring scientist even asked if he could take the cards home and run the test on his little sister who can name colors but has not learned to read yet.

All in all, the visit succeeded in educating the students about the life of a scientist, which, contrary to preconceived notions, did not include a lab coat and goggles.

Healy was also pleasantly surprised when at the end of the session a young lady asked her for her autograph. Healy explained, "The students were a lot of fun to work with, and seeing them respond in such a positive way reinforces my career interests in education."

For more information on the Center of Excellence in the Neurosciences and potential outreach collaborations for the Southern Maine K-12 community, please contact Dr. Ed Bilsky ebilsky@une.edu.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.