SBIR-STTR Award

Understanding the brain remains a great challenge for treatment of nervous system afflictions and humanistic reasons of comprehending the natural world. Basic neuroscience, though, is typically not taught until advanced college. We hypothesize such paucity in neuroscience education is due to the lack of simple, compelling, inexpensive tools for secondary school students to investigate and understand the brain. To address this need, we have invented the "SpikerBox": a bio-amplifier that is easy-to-use, inexpensive (<$100), portable, and can detect and record the spiking activity (action potentials) of invertebrates such as crickets and cockroaches. We now aim: 1. To develop the full lesson materials including curricula, lesson plans, lab books, and assessments to allow our SpikerBox to be used in classrooms as an enabling tool to teach neuroscience. 2. To develop easy-to-use data analysis software to accompany the SpikerBox and allow basic neural analysis routines on an iPad or standard laptop. 3. To develop prototypes of the "RoboRoach," a kit modified from off-the-shelf remote control toys that mounts on a cockroach, delivers pulses to the antennae nerves, and allows remote control of cockroach locomotion. Such a preparation is a useful tool for teaching about microstimulation, electronics, and behavior. By allowing secondary school students to learn about the brain by performing real electrophysiology experiments in the classroom, we will increase understanding and retention of neuroscience concepts at an early age. As neuroscience is a multi-disciplinary field encompassing biology, mathematics, and engineering, our "SpikerBox" and "RoboRoach" kits may have the effect of improving performance in STEM-related disciplines and inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers.

Public Health Relevance:
Backyard Brains will develop a "SpikerBox" kit with electronics, learning materials, and software to allow secondary school students to investigate the living nervous system of insects in the classroom. By allowing these students to do what was previously only available in advanced college, we aim to inspire the next generation of scientists, physicians, and engineers, as well as accelerate fundamental neuroscience research.

Thesaurus Terms:
Action Potentials;Address;Affect;Age;Amplifiers;Analysis, Data;Animal Model;Animal Models And Related Studies;Behavior;Biology;Books;Brain;Chronic;Cockroaches;Code;Coding System;Collaborations;Collection;Complex;Computer Programs;Computer Software;Conceptions;Crickets;Curriculum;Data;Data Analyses;Development And Research;Devices;Dictyoptera;Discipline;Education;Educational Curriculum;Educational Aspects;Educational Process Of Instructing;Electronics;Electrophysiology;Electrophysiology (Science);Encephalon;Encephalons;Engineering;Engineerings;Environment;Event;Feedback;Goals;Gryllidae;Insecta;Insects;Institution;Invertebrata;Invertebrates;Invertebrates, General;Invertebrates, Insects;Ion Channel;Ionic Channels;Knowledge;Learning;Life;Locomotion;Marketing;Materials Testing;Mathematics;Membrane Channels;Methods And Techniques;Methods, Other;Movement;Nrvs-Sys;Nerve;Nervous;Nervous System;Nervous System, Brain;Nervous System Structure;Neurologic Body System;Neurologic Organ System;Neuropharmacology;Neurophysiology / Electrophysiology;Neurosciences;Neurosciences Research;Organism;Outcome;Performance;Phase;Physicians;Physiologic Pulse;Population;Preparation;Pulse;R &D;R&D;Research;Response To Stimulus Physiology;Sales;Schools;Science;Science Of Neurophysiology;Scientist;Secondary Schools;Site Visit;Software;Sorting - Cell Movement;Students;Survey Instrument;Surveys;System;System, Loinc Axis 4;Teaching;Techniques;Technology;Thinking;Thinking, Function;Time;Toy;Universities;Vendor;Who;Work;World Health Organization;Body Movement;Cockroach;College;Commercialization;Computer Program /Software;Computer Program/Software;Develop Software;Developing Computer Software;Experiment;Experimental Research;Experimental Study;High School;Improved;Interest;Laptop;Living System;Microstimulation;Model Organism;Multidisciplinary;Neural;Neurophysiology;Next Generation;Prototype;Relating To Nervous System;Research And Development;Research Study;Skills;Software Development;Sorting;Stimulus /Response;Stimulus/Response;Success;Teacher;Tool;University;Web Site

Understanding the brain remains a great challenge for treatment of nervous system afflictions and humanistic reasons of comprehending the natural world. Basic neuroscience, though, is typically not taught until advanced college. We hypothesize such paucity in neuroscience education is due to the lack of simple, compelling, inexpensive tools for secondary school students to investigate and understand the brain. To address this need, we have invented the"SpikerBox": a bio-amplifier that is easy-to-use, inexpensive (<$100), portable, and can detect and record the spiking activity (action potentials) of invertebrates such as crickets and cockroaches. We now aim: 1. To develop the full lesson materials including curricula, lesson plans, lab books, and assessments to allow our SpikerBox to be used in classrooms as an enabling tool to teach neuroscience. 2. To develop easy-to-use data analysis software to accompany the SpikerBox and allow basic neural analysis routines on an iPad or standard laptop. 3. To develop prototypes of the"RoboRoach,"a kit modified from off-the-shelf remote control toys that mounts on a cockroach, delivers pulses to the antennae nerves, and allows remote control of cockroach locomotion. Such a preparation is a useful tool for teaching about microstimulation, electronics, and behavior. By allowing secondary school students to learn about the brain by performing real electrophysiology experiments in the classroom, we will increase understanding and retention of neuroscience concepts at an early age. As neuroscience is a multi-disciplinary field encompassing biology, mathematics, and engineering, our"SpikerBox"and"RoboRoach"kits may have the effect of improving performance in STEM-related disciplines and inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers.

Public Health Relevance:
Backyard Brains will develop a"SpikerBox"kit with electronics, learning materials, and software to allow secondary school students to investigate the living nervous system of insects in the classroom. By allowing these students to do what was previously only available in advanced college, we aim to inspire the next generation of scientists, physicians, and engineers, as well as accelerate fundamental neuroscience research.