About
The Loyola Program for Neuroscience and Society is a two-year project funded by the Dana Foundation and Loyola University Chicago. It consists of two projects: a pedagogical approach termed ETHOS and a series of interdisciplinary neuroscience competitions.
ETHOS stands for “Ethics-based teaching helps optimize STEM.” It couples the introduction of neuroscience concepts with discussions of their ethical and societal ramifications. ETHOS is a student-focused, interdisciplinary "train the trainers" initiative aiming to increase STEM awareness in secondary students. The approach includes three components:
- After-school workshops for juniors at Senn High School: Loyola University Chicago has a longstanding relationship with Senn High School. Many of the Senn students participating in Loyola’s Program for Neuroscience and Society identify with communities that have been historically underrepresented in STEM fields. The workshops take place once per week for 10 weeks.
- Summer research and professional development experience (Summer ETHOS): The Senn students who complete the series of after-school workshops are then eligible to join the Loyola Program for Neuroscience and Society’s 8-week Summer ETHOS program. This program consists of working in a research lab alongside faculty and Loyola undergraduates from Monday through Thursday. On Fridays, the students participate in professional development workshops.
- A near-peer mentoring event for middle school students: In the fall, the students who participated in the Summer ETHOS program will lead middle schoolers in a day of activities that introduce neuroscience concepts and their ethical ramifications — similar to the after-school workshops described above.
Along with the ETHOS program, to foster interdisciplinary thinking, we are sponsoring five neuroscience-related competitions: Neuro-Art, Neuroethics, Neuro-Journalism, Neuro-Business, and a micro grant competition. The first four competitions involve examining how neuroscience intersects with other disciplines. The micro grant competition will support organizations that are interested in elevating neuroscience awareness in their communities. It will also help those looking to connect with neuroscientists to identify neuroscience-related problems in their communities that could benefit from additional research.
These competitions, which come with prizes, will promote an appreciation of the myriad intersections between neuroscience and society.
"We want to invigorate neuroscience education as well as broaden connections between neuroscience and a variety of non-STEM fields," says Rochlin, who serves as the director of the program. "Fundamental to both endeavors is coupling the science to its societal impacts and ethical ramifications. By introducing these linkages early in the educational ecosystem, neuroscience will become more inviting, more inclusive and more integrated with society to create lasting changes."
The Loyola Program for Neuroscience and Society is a two-year project funded by the Dana Foundation and Loyola University Chicago. It consists of two projects: a pedagogical approach termed ETHOS and a series of interdisciplinary neuroscience competitions.
ETHOS stands for “Ethics-based teaching helps optimize STEM.” It couples the introduction of neuroscience concepts with discussions of their ethical and societal ramifications. ETHOS is a student-focused, interdisciplinary "train the trainers" initiative aiming to increase STEM awareness in secondary students. The approach includes three components:
- After-school workshops for juniors at Senn High School: Loyola University Chicago has a longstanding relationship with Senn High School. Many of the Senn students participating in Loyola’s Program for Neuroscience and Society identify with communities that have been historically underrepresented in STEM fields. The workshops take place once per week for 10 weeks.
- Summer research and professional development experience (Summer ETHOS): The Senn students who complete the series of after-school workshops are then eligible to join the Loyola Program for Neuroscience and Society’s 8-week Summer ETHOS program. This program consists of working in a research lab alongside faculty and Loyola undergraduates from Monday through Thursday. On Fridays, the students participate in professional development workshops.
- A near-peer mentoring event for middle school students: In the fall, the students who participated in the Summer ETHOS program will lead middle schoolers in a day of activities that introduce neuroscience concepts and their ethical ramifications — similar to the after-school workshops described above.
Along with the ETHOS program, to foster interdisciplinary thinking, we are sponsoring five neuroscience-related competitions: Neuro-Art, Neuroethics, Neuro-Journalism, Neuro-Business, and a micro grant competition. The first four competitions involve examining how neuroscience intersects with other disciplines. The micro grant competition will support organizations that are interested in elevating neuroscience awareness in their communities. It will also help those looking to connect with neuroscientists to identify neuroscience-related problems in their communities that could benefit from additional research.
These competitions, which come with prizes, will promote an appreciation of the myriad intersections between neuroscience and society.
"We want to invigorate neuroscience education as well as broaden connections between neuroscience and a variety of non-STEM fields," says Rochlin, who serves as the director of the program. "Fundamental to both endeavors is coupling the science to its societal impacts and ethical ramifications. By introducing these linkages early in the educational ecosystem, neuroscience will become more inviting, more inclusive and more integrated with society to create lasting changes."