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4 Go-To Skills to Support Your Mental Health During COVID–19 (and Beyond)

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calm-woman-in-lotus-pose-meditating-after-awakening-at-home-3791634

[calm-woman-in-lotus-pose-meditating-after-awakening-at-home]

We’re living in a very stressful time due to the sweeping, global effects of the COVID–19 pandemic. Although much of the focus has been on physical health, mental health is equally important during these times. Broad feelings of uncertainty, job loss, fear, and drastic changes to our normal schedules and activities take a toll on our mental well-being. Below are four of the skills that I have relied on to maintain and support my mental health during COVID–19, though their utility extends to any time I’m experiencing stress in my life…

Ethics in Research: What is the IACUC?

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Picture is Kanzi, a male bonobo, participating in a touchscreen research task investigating syntax processing in great apes

[Picture is Kanzi, a male bonobo, participating in a touchscreen research task investigating syntax processing in great apes]

The Animal Welfare Act of 1966 was brought about by two major media publications. In Sports Illustrated, Pepper, the Dalmatian, had disappeared from her family’s front yard, only to have been found at an east coast hospital and after having been euthanized, following an experimental medical research study involving an early model of a pacemaker. Pepper had been snatched from her owner’s front yard, and then sold for use in medical research, all without their knowledge…

Ethics in Research: What is the IRB?

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A human silhouette made of small data points.

[A human silhouette made of small data points.]

Across many fields, scientific research involving humans has a dark history, and many studies conducted in the past are completely unethical both in their original contexts and now. In America, examples include the Tuskegee Study on syphilis, which ran for over 40 years, and Henrietta Lacks’  ovarian cancer cells which were used in scientific research for decades without her or her family’s knowledge…

Expanding ‘The Matrix’ of science: The Newman lab inside and out

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Eight people standing around a table full of science experiments

[Eight people standing around a table full of science experiments]

Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences (PBS) assistant professor Dr. Ehren Newman studies circuitry in the brain, particularly the circuitry that is associated with the making of stories and the retrieval of memories. Newman’s background as a computational neuroscientist enables him to bring a plethora of new insight into his current field of systems cognitive psychology. Memory is a complex process with multiple facets. “We don’t remember everything that happens to us with equal probability,” he observes. “Instead, we have fragmented memories of things of varying lengths.” So, how do we choose which memories to store and later recall?

IU’s take on the cannabis trend

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The image shows Cannabis Sativa plant

[The image shows Cannabis Sativa plant]

On March 20, 2019, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences Professor Emeritus Dr. Brian O’Donnell and Research Scientist Dr. Alex Straiker met with the student community for a Q&A session entitled “Cannabis: Science and Policy.” “IU has been the world center for research regarding cannabinoid signaling,” said Dr. Straiker during his address at the Science Café talk. Having studied cannabinoid signaling for more than 20 years, Dr. Straiker mentions the growing enthusiasm for cannabis use in a variety of forms, like essential oils; not only recreationally, but also for the treatment of anxiety, autoimmune disease, inflammation, and pain management…

Science without a Degree: What is Citizen Science and How to Get Involved

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repeating illustrations of a laptop showing a bar graph, a microscope, and a magnifying glass.

[repeating illustrations of a laptop showing a bar graph, a microscope, and a magnifying glass.]

Louis Pasteur once said, “Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which illuminates the world.” The act of doing science should not, and cannot, be confined to people in lab coats with multiple degrees squinting at computer screens and scribbling on whiteboards. Exploring the natural world around us should be something everyone can take part in, and that’s what citizen science is…

COVID–19: What is it? What you should know about it?

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Coronavirus is a spherical virus with small suction-cup-like attachments on the surface

[Coronavirus is a spherical virus with small suction-cup-like attachments on the surface.]

Obviously, we have all heard about COVID–19, the novel coronavirus outbreak that originated at a seafood market in Wuhan China. There is a LOT of information out there about COVID–19 but there are also still many open questions that we are desperately looking for answers to. I wanted to tackle this topic from a scientific approach, so what exactly is COVID–19? The Coronavirus family is characterized as an enveloped positive strand RNA virus, much like the SARS-coronavirus that infected people in 2003, but with a slightly different genome. What does that mean? Let’s break it down…

What’s it like to work with primates? Interviews from the Ape Initiative

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Bonobos in an outdoor enclosure, with several platforms, ropes, and other objects to simulate a more natural environment.

[Bonobos in an outdoor enclosure, with several platforms, ropes, and other objects to simulate a more natural environment. ]

In this post, ScIU blogger Chloe Holden interviews staff members at the Ape Initiative in Iowa. She covers topics like: What is it like working with nonhuman primates on a regular basis? What surprised you the most when you were getting to know the bonobos? What’s your favorite part about working with the bonobos? and others…

You’re not too important to pick up poop: The quirks and perks of working with primates

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Pictured are the seven bonobo residents of the Ape Initiative. Starting in the top left to right is Kanzi, Maisha, Elikya and Nyota. The bottom row from left to right is Mali, Clara, and Teco.

[Pictured are the seven bonobo residents of the Ape Initiative. Starting in the top left to right is Kanzi, Maisha, Elikya and Nyota. The bottom row from left to right is Mali, Clara, and Teco.]

For the past three and a half years, I have been volunteering at the Ape Initiative as part of my research interests in primatology and cognition research. The Ape Initiative is a non-profit research and conservation facility that is home to 7 bonobos (Pan paniscus) and counting! Bonobos are one of the closest living relatives to humans, sharing about 98-99% of their DNA…

The human brain can control a robotic arm

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A man grasps a metal prosthetic arm.

[A man grasps a metal prosthetic arm.]

Robotics are typically portrayed as complex mechanical systems that function according to a fixed code. Yet, that is quickly changing; certain robotic parts are now able to update their code in real time. By incorporating engineering and neuroscience research, scientists and physicians have found a way to make robotic pieces function “naturally” like any limb on the human body…

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