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A Look Inside the Human Brain
Dimitrios Pantazis, Principal Research Scientist
Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/17
Limited to 50 participants
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: None
Modern imaging technologies at MIT and MGH provide exciting new ways to understand the structure and function of the human brain. We will provide guided tours of our imaging facilities and show how we use these tools to look inside the brain. Our recently installed MEG scanner, capable of measuring magnetic fields a billionth of the magnetic field of earth, can record the simultaneous firing of thousands of cortical neurons as they form dynamic networks. Our MRI scanners provide high resolution images of the human brain as subjects perform a wide range of perceptual and cognitive tasks. Our PET scanners can identify and localize specific molecules in the brain, revealing pathologies that may underlie many different brain disorders. TMS is a noninvasive method that uses electromagnetic induction to create weak electric currents and cause depolarization or hyperpolarization in the neurons of the brain. NIRS uses infrared light to illuminate tissue and infer brain activity through the diffusion and scattering of this light. We will introduce these technologies, offer lab tours and demonstrate data collection, and discuss their contribution to neuroscience and current projects at MIT and MGH.
Contact: Dimitrios Pantazis, 46-5147, 617 324-6292, PANTAZIS@MIT.EDU
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Jan/17 | Wed | 02:00PM-03:00PM | bldg 46-3015 |
Electrophysiological basis of MEG signals; instrumentation; modeling; cortical rhythms; brain networks; combining MEG with fMRI, studying the human visual system.
Dimitrios Pantazis - Principal Research Scientist
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Jan/17 | Wed | 03:00PM-04:00PM | bldg 46-3015 |
Topics include MRI instrumentation, magnetic fields, safety, functional imaging with BOLD response, diffusion imaging, and others.
Anastasia Yendiki - Assistant Professor
| Jan/17 | Wed | 04:00PM-05:00PM | bldg 46-1171 |
A tour at the MRI lab. Demo scan (finger tapping) and data analysis.
MRI Lab: http://mcgovern.mit.edu/technology/martinos-imaging-center/technical-resources
Sheeba Anteraper - Senior Programmer, Steve Shannon - Operations Manager and MR Research Technologist
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Jan/17 | Wed | 04:00PM-05:00PM | bldg 46-1147 |
A tour at the MEG Lab, demo scan and data analysis of an MEG experiment
Dimitrios Pantazis - Principal Research Scientist, Yasaman Bagherzadeh - Postdoctoral Fellow
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Jan/18 | Thu | 02:00PM-03:00PM | bldg 46-3015 |
Use of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to depolarize and hyperpolarize neurons of the brain, applications to treat depression and examine basic mechanisms of post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety, among others.
Aapo Nummenmaa - Instructor
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Jan/18 | Thu | 03:00PM-04:00PM | bldg 46-3015 |
Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) instrumentation, principles of light scattering and absorption, imaging of oxygenated hemoglobin, NIRS applications.
Meryem Yucel - Instructor
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Jan/18 | Thu | 04:00PM-05:00PM | bldg 46-3015 |
Seminar on Positron Emission Technology. Introduction to PET technology and scanners at MGH; applications in tumor detection; brain metabolic activity; gene expression; neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's; pharmacology etc.
Quanzheng Li - Associate Professor
Beekeeping 101
Tony Pulsone, Beekeeper
Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Limited to 30 participants
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions
If you are thinking about becoming a beekeeper, there are many things to learn before embarking on this wonderful adventure. This course will provide you with a foundation to get started in this fascinating hobby and take you through your first year of beekeeping in the Northeast.
We will discuss honey bee biology and behavior, how to acquire your first bees, beekeeping equipment, how to conduct inspections, and seasonal management of your colonies. Beekeeping 101 is perfect for people who are interested in bees and beekeeping – this is the course that will help you decide whether beekeeping is right for you.
Tony Pulsone has been a local beekeeper for more than eight years. He is a second-generation beekeeper, a mentor to new beekeepers, a member of both the Middlesex County Beekeepers Association and the Eastern Apicultural Society. He is enrolled in the Cornell University Master Beekeeper Program and is currently studying for the Eastern Apicultural Society’s Master Beekeeper Certification. He maintains four hives 10 miles from campus.
Contact: Antonio Pulsone, 1-304, 617 253-2294, PULSONE@MIT.EDU
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Jan/09 | Tue | 05:30PM-06:30PM | 3-370 |
History of Beekeeping and its importance; Setting Expectations (trying to talk you out of beekeeping); Stings and Allergic Reactions (Management of Bee Allergies); Laws & Regulations, both State and Local
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Jan/11 | Thu | 05:30PM-06:30PM | 3-370 |
Occupants of the Hive and their Life Cycles; Site Considerations for your Apiary; Sourcing Bees (packages, nucs, and other ways to get bees)
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Jan/16 | Tue | 05:30PM-06:30PM | 3-370 |
Protective Clothing; Smoker (fuel, and how to light it, keeping it going); Hive Tools; Bee Hives (components and accessories); Miscellaneous Equipment (bear fencing, chest freezer, etc.)
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Jan/23 | Tue | 05:30PM-06:30PM | 3-370 |
Installing Bees into your Hive(s); Feeding; How to properly inspect a hive; Swarming and Swarm Prevention; Winter Preparations
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Jan/25 | Thu | 05:30PM-06:30PM | 3-370 |
An unfortunate reality; How to deal with them
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Feb/01 | Thu | 05:30PM-06:30PM | 3-370 |
Preparing your hive(s) to overwinter; Products of the Hive; Planting for Bees
Biota Beats: Your Musical Microbiome
David Sun Kong, Ph.D., Director, Community Biotechnology Initiative, MIT Media Lab
Enrollment: Please email dkong@mit.edu
Sign-up by 01/15
Limited to 25 participants
Attendance: Preference will be given to individuals able to attend all sessions
What does your microbiome sound like? The Media Lab, in collaboration with EMW Street Bio, a local community bio lab, has developed a hardware-software-wetware interface called BIOTA BEATS. Inspired by the DJ turntable, Biota Beats converts data about microbes from the body into music!
Biota Beats jas been covered in NPR, the Washington Post, and Scientific American, but to take this project to the next level we need YOU!
In this four-day IAP workshop, we will work in teams to design the next generation of Biota Beats. We will explore questions such as: what kinds of data can we gather about an individual's microbiome? How can we effectively visualize and sonify the data? How can we make the process interactive for users?
We are looking for creatives and nerds of all stripes, including biologists, hardware and software hackers, interaction designers, musicians, artists. Each day will feature speakers including experts in the science of the human microbiome, interaction design, and musical performance. Participants will work in teams to develop new concepts for Biota Beats to explore for 2018 and beyond!
To apply please send a short description of yourself, your technical / creative skills, and your interest in the project to dkong@mit.edu, Director of the Community Biotechnology Initiative at the MIT Media Lab.
Sponsor(s): Media Lab
Contact: David Kong, DKONG@MIT.EDU
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Jan/22 | Mon | 01:00PM-04:00PM | MIT Media Lab |
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Jan/23 | Tue | 01:00PM-04:00PM | MIT Media Lab |
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Jan/24 | Wed | 01:00PM-04:00PM | MIT Media Lab |
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Jan/26 | Fri | 01:00PM-04:00PM | MIT Media Lab |
David Sun Kong, Ph.D. - Director, Community Biotechnology Initiative, MIT Media Lab
DIYDx: Crowdsourced Biosensor Design @ Little Devices Lab
Jose Gomez Marquez, Instructor/Research Specialist, IMES
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Jan/29 | Mon | 10:00AM-12:00PM | IDC, N52-391 |
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Jan/30 | Tue | 10:00AM-12:00PM | IDC, N52-391 |
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Jan/31 | Wed | 10:00AM-12:00PM | IDC, N52-391 |
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Feb/01 | Thu | 10:00AM-12:00PM | IDC, N52-391 |
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Feb/02 | Fri | 10:00AM-12:00PM | IDC, N52-391 |
Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/22
Limited to 20 participants
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions
Prereq: Curiosity and hands on energy + Application Email
Can we design devices that enable everyone to have a lab in their pocket for infectious disease? How can we make new types of health hardware for infectious diseases from Chile to Connecticut? How do we move away from black box instrumentation that is expensive and unaffordable to one that is open and crowdsourced? Learn in a hands-on studio about these issues in DIYDx over IAP, brought to you by Little Devices Lab and HST MakerLab.
You will design and prototype the next generation of crowdsourced biosensors for infectious diseases for ebola, dengue, and Lyme disease. This fast paced design workshop and studio will explore the design of field ready biosensors, sample processing and on site analysis from vector to DNA & antibody signatures using multiplexed, paper based analytical devices that you can build. Teams will work in 4 design sprints and user the HST MakerLab and Little Devices Lab facilities that includes 3-D printing, laser cutters, CNC, physical computing, bio lab and 10,000 square feet of prototyping space.
In addition to scheduled meeting times, afternoon freeform lab and prototyping time will be available.
To Enroll, email littledevices@mit.edu. Open to undergraduates. Graduate students + staff with permission of instructors.
Sponsor(s): MIT-SUTD International Design Center
Contact: Jose Gomez Marquez and Anna Young, littledevices@mit.edu
Finding gene info & more: a tour of the NCBI "omics" network
Courtney Crummett, Biosciences Librarian, MIT Libraries
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Jan/18 | Thu | 04:00PM-05:00PM | 14N-132 |
Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) family of databases are filled with information for molecular level bioscience research. Class attendees will learn about the organization and interconnectedness of NCBI databases while focusing on several NCBI specific databases. The session is a hands-on practicum and an excellent starting point for people who are new to or curious about bioinformatics research tools.
Register here: http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3758522
Sponsor(s): Biology, Libraries
Contact: Courtney Crummett, 14S-134, 617 324-8290, CRUMMETT@MIT.EDU
Gene Set Enrichment Analysis
Charlie Whittaker, Research Scientist
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Jan/31 | Wed | 10:00AM-12:00PM | 14N-132 - DIRC |
Enrollment: Unlimited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/30
Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) is a freely available tool developed at the Broad Institute that allows analysis of groups of genes in the context of gene expression experiments. The groups of genes under investigation can include thousands of functionally associated, positional or other types of sets annotated in the the MsigDb collections or custom gene sets relevant to an experiment. In this IAP, the rationale for GSEA will be reviewed and hands-on instruction in input data setup, execution of analyses and assembly and interpretation of results will be provided. Single-sample GSEA variant will be demonstrated and the application of GSEA to different data types will be discussed. Example datasets will be provided but attendees are encouraged to bring their own data.
Eligibility: MIT researchers affiliated with the Koch Institute, the Biology Department, the Center for Environmental Health Sciences or the Department of Biological Engineering.
Register HERE:
http://libcal.mit.edu/event/3758507
Sponsor(s): David H. Koch Inst. for Integrative Cancer Researc, Libraries
Contact: Courtney Crummet, crummett@mit.edu
Info Session: 2018 MIT Amgen-UROP Scholars Program
Alex Hoyt, Sara Nelson
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Jan/17 | Wed | 03:00PM-04:00PM | 4-149 |
Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
The MIT Amgen Scholars Program invites undergraduates to participate in faculty-mentored summer research at MIT in the science and biotechnology areas.
Students admitted to this program (known as Amgen Scholars) will have opportunities to conduct research, analyze data, present research results, network with other undergraduates with similar research interests, and develop working relationships with MIT faculty mentors and other research staff.
Sponsor(s): Office of Undergrad. Advising/Academic Programming
Contact: J Alex Hoyt, 7-104, 617 324-6700, JAHOYT@MIT.EDU
Making Sense of Scent
Andreas Mershin, Research Scientist
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Jan/24 | Wed | 03:00PM-05:00PM | E14-633 |
Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/23
Limited to 60 participants
Prereq: none
In 1914, Alexander Graham Bell said: "If you are ambitious to find a new science, measure a smell".
This MIT IAP course is designed to give you the knowledge and practical experience necessary to understand why it's 2018 and we still haven't "measured a smell" and why it's more important than ever to do so.
During the lecture part of this activity you will learn how biological and machine noses work. We will cover emerging applications ranging from diagnostics to drug discovery and how new experimental methods are challenging old theoretical models of olfaction.
During the practical session you will be trained on methods to enhance your olfactory intelligence while participating in a blindfolded perfume discrimination exercise. Most perfume novices will be surprised to discover how sensitive their noses become upon minimal training. If you are a perfume aficionado, expect to be surprised that you may actually be able to beat a Gas Chromatographer-Mass Spectrometer. If you are completely anosmic (lack the sense of smell) we direly need you as a control! (and we'll teach you fun tricks such as how to terminally confuse Master Sommeliers or how to cause olfactory hallucinations in yourself and others).
By the end of the course you will be able to answer Shakespeare's own question better than he did:
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet"
Contact: Andreas Mershin, E15-401G, 617 515-4192, MERSHIN@MIT.EDU
Memory Wars: Contrasting Views of Memory from Systems Neuroscience Research
Carmen Varela, Research Scientist
Enrollment: Send resume to carmenv@mit.edu
Sign-up by 12/22
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions
Prereq: Background on memory and/or systems neuroscience preferred
Motivation: Research in science is driven by frameworks and hypotheses that determine the design and interpretation of experiments and how the field evolves. A critical discussion of these hypotheses can: raise awareness of the current state of the field, gain familiarity with terminology and concepts, sharpen critical thinking skills, and develop intuition to design effective experiments to tackle key open questions.
Objectives: One goal is to achieve an intuitive understanding of the current state of two major sub-areas in memory research: how are memories encoded and how are they processed at the cell population and systems level? Another goal is to experiment with a complementary way of discussing the literature, in which we will focus on a critical discussion of the big picture and context for current research, instead of the traditional journal clubs, which primarily target single-papers to discuss methods and design.
Structure: We will discuss two sets (4-6 each) of relevant papers that review contrasting hypotheses that are the basis for active areas of research in the field of memory.
Pre-Requisites: Background on memory and/or systems neuroscience preferred
Session Leaders and Organizers: Carmen Varela, Lindsey Williams, Felix Sosa
Contact: Carmen Varela, 46-5233, carmenv@mit.edu
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Jan/12 | Fri | 05:30PM-07:30PM | 46-6199 |
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Jan/17 | Wed | 05:30PM-07:30PM | 46-6199 |
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Jan/19 | Fri | 05:30PM-07:30PM | 46-6199 |
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Jan/24 | Wed | 05:30PM-07:30PM | 46-6199 |
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Jan/26 | Fri | 05:30PM-07:30PM | 46-6199 |
Week 1. Social hour + discussion. How does your background shape the way you think about science? How do different frameworks shape neuroscience research?
Week 2. How is memory encoded? Spatial and cognitive maps, memory ensembles, grandmother cells.
Week 3. How is memory processed? systems consolidation, complementary learning systems.
Carmen Varela - Research Scientist, Lindsey Williams - Research Assistant
The Rollercoaster Ride of RNA Biotech Companies: From Obscurity to a $20B Industry
Tod Woolf, MIT Technology Licensing Officer
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Jan/17 | Wed | 12:30PM-02:00PM | 3-370 |
Enrollment: Unlimited: Advance sign-up required
Novel therapeutic platforms usually go through the phases of initial enthusiasm, followed by a trough of disappointment to meet the initial hype, and then after years of solving the technical challenges commercial clinical success is achieved.
Nucleic acids drugs targeting RNA and the genome provide excellent examples of these cycles.
Tod Woolf (Technology Licensing Officer) will describe work of his biotech teams and other biotechs in the area of antisense, RNAi and therapeutic editing that reflect phases of these boom bust cycles, with an emphasis on how chemical modification of nucleic acid drugs contributed to the enablement of nucleic acid therapeutic platforms.
This session is part of the Intellectual Property Lunch and Learn Series co-sponsored with the MIT Libraries. Food will be served.
To register for this event please contact Katrina Khalil via email: kmkhalil@mit.edu
Sponsor(s): Technology Licensing Office, Libraries
Contact: Katrina Khalil, NE18-501, 617 253-6966, kmkhalil@mit.edu
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