Shelley Batts is a Neuroscience PhD candidate at the University of Michigan. She studies hair cell regeneration in the cochlea, and is trying to finish that quixotic quest called 'thesis.' She lies awake at night pondering how science intersects with politics, culture, policy, money, medicine, and religion in an attempt to be more than just a niche scientist sitting in the oh-so-lovely ivory tower. Follow me and my parrot, Pepper, on our quest to finish my PhD, land a post-doc, and stay sane.
Steve Higgins is a psychology graduate student at an online university. He hopes that the three weeks and $29.95 that he is spending on his Ph.D. will get him a job at a Tier 1 research university. Do online universities have postdocs? Ok...just kidding, Steve is really a Ph.D. Candidate in Psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign studying high level vision. You know... stuff like scene & object perception.
While not an official contributer to 'Of Two Minds,' Shelley's sidekick is an African Grey parrot named Pepper. His heros are Irene Pepperberg, Alex, and Rachel Carson. He spends his time learning Mandarin and writing the Great American novel.
"Those who dwell, as scientists or laymen, among the beauties and mysteries of the earth, are never alone or weary of life." ~Rachel Carson
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April 22, 2008
Category: Wide World
Cristiana Senni from World Parrots Trust just let me know that their organization has uploaded several movies to YouTube of African Grey parrots in the wild. I live with a Grey, and was absolutely amazed at their vocalizations and...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 10:21 PM • 1 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
April 21, 2008
Category: Wide World
The Dalai Lama has been making appearances and giving talks in the US, with his most recent talk at the University of Michigan (where I am) yesterday. Although I was unable to attend the actual talk, since the tickets...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 12:43 PM • 3 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
April 18, 2008
Category: Brains and Stuff
Well folks, sorry I've been so AWOL around here lately. Lets just say there's been a lot of long hours in the basement with the confocal microscope, and I've also been in charge of organizing the U of M...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:56 AM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
April 16, 2008
Category: Technology
A great new piece of technology turns you into old mister Pickard, your pissy, old, get off my damn lawn, next door neighbor. Carmaker Nissan Motor is using a specialized driver's suit and goggles to simulate the bad balance, stiff...
Posted by Steve Higgins at 2:44 PM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
April 15, 2008
Category: Brains and Stuff
Do you have an extra brain sitting around you want to donate? Do you want to trade brains with someone else but they are too far away to do it in person? Is your brain malfunctioning and you need to...
Posted by Steve Higgins at 10:35 AM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
April 14, 2008
Category: Birds
Sexing chicks is a very difficult task for naive people. Expert chick sexers are over 98% successful while the naive sexers can only do it with slightly above chance performance. Are you sufficiently confused/pissed yet? Ok ok... here's what's really...
Posted by Steve Higgins at 7:41 AM • 12 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
April 9, 2008
Category: Tastes Like Neuroscience
Something to think about next time those vanity pangs hit (Mac-users, I'm looking at you): new research published in the April 2nd Journal of Neuroscience reports that botulium (the toxin in the popular cosmetic Botox injections) can reach the...
Posted by Shelley Batts at 8:41 AM • 5 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
April 8, 2008
Category: Humor
My friend Amy sent these graphs around today - I have no idea at all what their source is (any ideas?) so I can't credit it. But they really are hysterical. Enjoy: A bunch more after the break....
Posted by Steve Higgins at 2:07 PM • 10 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
April 7, 2008
Category: Birds
This is clearly false advertising. I don't see any pinging going on. This seems more like Pigeons playing pong. BF Skinner trains two pigeons to perform a chain of behaviors for the classroom demonstration. As a result, pigeons engage...
Posted by Steve Higgins at 1:39 PM • 4 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
Category: Woo
A number of people have noticed that after getting transplants their personality changes - and not only that- their personality changes to reflect the donors personality. ...though she was born and raised in Tucson, she never liked Mexican food. She...
Posted by Steve Higgins at 10:40 AM • 6 Comments • 0 TrackBacks
