I am looking forward to working with Science in Motion and the other judges for this science contest. 

Below is the certificate of appreciation: 

After serving on a jury for the NeuroART contest at the European Academy of Neurology in 2024 and 2025,  I am glad to be serving again in this capacity in 2026. 

For Brain Awareness Week this year, I made two changes to my presentations. The first was the use of group facilitation techniques that I use for my creative aging sessions. The second was the adoption of a question-based pedagogy, where participant questions are embedded into the presentation from the very beginning. Using Bharatanatyam and its intersection with neuroscience, we generated many questions over the course of the talk at the Allerton Branch of the New York Public Library. I found this approach so much more participatory and democratic, with many questions building on other questions in the group! 
​Some fascinating questions that emerged were:

• "What is the oldest language? 
• "Why do some people dream in images rather than words"? 
• "How do we interpret the emotions of others"? 
• "If we speak multiple languages, why and how does the brain decide which language I dream in, and which language I think in"? 
• "Where does the intersection of culture and emotion live? Why are certain words more endearing in my native language?" 

I look forward to employing these techniques again as part of Science Saturday: The Human Machine at  Columbia University's Zuckerman Institute on March 28th, 2026. I will be talking about the link between hand and brain evolution! 

On March 14, I gave a talk to patrons at Allerton NYPL Branch in the Bronx on dance and neuroscience. 
A few themes that emerged are below, as well as a few images. 

On March 28, 2026, I will be presenting work on hand gestures (hastas), hand evolution, and brain evolution. 
In addition to dance, movement, and science, there will be hands-on activities as well, such as making finger puppets and drawing hand gestures. The link to register for this event is here.