trevordayschool

I g n i t i n g a S p a r k e High School Classroom as Neuroscience Laboratory T h i s r e m a r k a b l e j o u r n e y began just over a year ago, when Dr. David Poeppel, Trevor parent and cognitive neuroscientist, contacted the school with an unusual proposal: Would Trevor be interested in participating in a pioneering study on brain activity in the classroom, funded by the INSPIre program (Integrated NSF Support Promoting Interdisciplinary research and education)? he explained that the National Science Foundation was interested in funding research projects that fell outside the bounds of traditional grant proposals, provided the project had lofty goals and a strong educational component. From our very first conversations, it was clear that hosting this study would provide enormous benefits to the Trevor community. With the partnership set, Dr. Poeppel and his postdoctoral collaborator, Suzanne Dikker, set out to craft an experimental proposal that was both interdisciplinary and potentially transformational to the field. e goal was to engage Trevor students in a full cycle of scientific exploration, while pushing the boundaries of traditional neuroscience research. e resulting proposal was titled "crowdsourcing neuroscience: Neural oscillations and human social dynamics." In a field that had primarily focused on brain activity in individuals, this study represented a significant jump forward. What happens inside the brains of a group of people as they interact? We discussed the best environment for such an ambitious study and quickly agreed that the science classroom would be the perfect place to learn about learning itself. as the proposal took shape, it became increasingly clear that Trevor and this study were an outstanding fit. Integrated and interdisciplinary studies are a major focus across the curriculum at Trevor, and the science program in the high School is a living embodiment of this approach to learning. as chair of the science department, I have the privilege of observing the extraordinary science teaching that happens from Pre-Kindergarten all the way through Grade 12. at every level, students are asked to think in an interdisciplinary way about science, and are encouraged to explore deep and meaningful questions. us, I was confident that our students would understand just how remarkable an opportunity this was, and I was certain they were well equipped to participate in the cutting edge of neuroscience research. Just before the start of the 2013–2014 school year, Dr. Poeppel received word that the NSF had approved the study, and together we set out to turn the proposal into reality. e challenge was equal parts exciting and daunting—no one had even performed this type of experiment on a group of interacting people before. Fortunately, Dr. Poeppel had assembled a remarkably diverse and talented team. lisa Kaggen, from the Social Neuroscience lab at NyU, helped to shape the social aspects of the project, while Professor Mingzhou Ding, from the University of Florida, was tasked with analyzing the mountain of electrophysiology data the study would produce. Ido Davidesco, from the NyU Department of Neurology, would help with data collection and analysis, and Suzanne Dikker would by James McClintock Science Department Chair, Grade 11-12 Science Teacher 1 6 T r e v o r D ay S c h o o l n W I N T e r 2 0 1 4 – 2 0 1 5

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