Juggling work, kids and NeuroBead, I often sit down to write a blog post in unusual places. This week for example, I am writing from my daughter’s gymnastics studio, where I get an hour of peace and quiet while she is in class. Just as I sat down and started looking through my notes about... Continue Reading →
SciArt – who is it for?
Several weeks ago, I was listening to the Art Juice podcast and they had a great guest - Seth Godin. He was talking about his new book "The Practice", which is a collection of small snippets about how creating art is all about the process. I can totally relate! It is such a soothing and meditative activity... Continue Reading →
Getting on the same page in science communication
I have been reading a lot of Russian kids literature to my daughters. I have read some of these stories so many times, that I remember them by heart (whether I want to or not). Sometimes they pop up in my brain out of nowhere. At other times a real life situation reminds me of... Continue Reading →
Pushing the envelope in science AND art
"Thinking outside the box" has become a bit of a cliché. But in science it is more important than ever. As the base of human knowledge propels ahead with lightning speed, it takes a special set of skills and knowledge to be on the cutting edge of innovation. When I was in graduate school, there... Continue Reading →
I just want to feel this moment
“If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present.”- Lao Tzu I recently heard this quote at it really resonated with me. Despite being a neuroscientist, I had a pretty hazy understanding of... Continue Reading →
The importance of stories behind the art
Close your eyes and imagine you’re a wealthy collector who’s just entered a gallery in an art museum. On the wall facing you there are two gigantic canvases, each more than 10 feet tall. Both paintings depict a harbor at sunset. From across the room, they look identical: the same ships, the same reflections on... Continue Reading →
Attracting more people to find treatments for devastating diseases
If you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that I used to work as a neuroscientist at a neurology-focused biotech company. Coming from an insulated environment of academic research, it was a truly eye-opening experience for me on many levels. While academic biomedical research is often driven by natural curiosity about... Continue Reading →
An embarrassing story of how it took me 20 years to interpret an abstract sculpture
The myth behind the sculpture When I was applying to colleges, I went on a campus tour at Columbia University. Columbia campus is gorgeous and I was drinking it all in. When we approached Columbia Law School, the tour guide drew our attention to the odd sculpture in front of it. We stood there for... Continue Reading →
How important is artist’s purity of technique?
Several weeks ago, my husband and I got a rare opportunity to spend the whole day together - just the two of us. With full time jobs (despite COVID-19) and the "second shift" of raising two kids, it really feels like a luxury. Ever since we met in graduate school 15 years ago, we have... Continue Reading →
Why is art so rewarding to the brain?
Several years ago, I received a comment on my website stating that: Work and chores get done, because the world needs them to be done. #Art gets done because there is an internal need for it to happen.Tweet I grew up doing a lot of arts and crafts, which did not necessarily stem from the... Continue Reading →