The BraiNY Bunch
Ali Cohen, PhD, and Heidi Meyer, PhD, are the current Events Directors at braiNY and postdoctoral fellows at NYU and Weill Cornell Medicine, respectively. This week they’re launching a new program called “The BraiNY Bunch,” a virtual series focusing on neuroscience education and mentorship. At the Blog we got a chance to catch up with Ali and Heidi to hear a little more about how this all got started.
Where did the idea come from?
Ali: Once the reality that our lives had become mostly virtual set in, Heidi and I began thinking about ways that we could leverage this to bring neuroscience to an even broader audience.
Heidi: One way that we were keeping in touch with some of our colleagues was through regular Zoom journal clubs, where we read and discussed a paper. It suddenly clicked that this might be a great way to provide students with an introduction to neuroscience!
How did you come up with such a great name - were there other close contenders?
Ali: We knew that the name had to include BraiNY and ideally also represent a group of people coming together. I am personally a huge fan of alliteration and also loved watching the Brady Bunch growing up, so it actually came to me almost immediately. It felt like an added bonus that the Brady Bunch logo already resembled the Zoom layouts that are now part of our daily lives. That’s the way we became the BraiNY Bunch - there were no other contenders!
What is The Bunch trying to accomplish?
Ali: We’re hoping to broaden the reach of our science education, mentorship, and brain awareness efforts through the BraiNY Bunch. We want to build an experience that bridges physical distance and brings brain enthusiasts from various backgrounds together.
Heidi: We’re also hoping that being part of the BraiNY Bunch will lead to connections between students that go beyond the journal club. Student leaders will get the chance to learn from their assigned mentors as they prepare their journal club presentation, and will also get the chance to see a ‘day in the life’ of a scientist by attending their mentor’s lab meeting. As an added bonus, having a virtual platform means there are no limits on where our brain enthusiasts can join from, so students have the chance to meet peers well outside their schools and neighborhoods. As a matter of fact, we currently have global representation in our BraiNY Bunch teams! We’re excited to meet everyone at the journal clubs!