Craig Harris, research coordinator at the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences at the University of Washington, is retiring after 37 years. If you’ve heard of and – we humbly hope – been amazed by any of the groundbreaking research discoveries coming out of the Institute, then you’ve been amazed by work that Harris has helped produce. If you’re among … Read More
Babies’ Brain Responses to Touch Reveal Body Map
See an adorable baby and it can be hard to resist reaching out for a cuddle. The sense of touch is the earliest form of communication between babies and their caregivers. It’s one way we say “I love you” long before infants understand language. Now scientists at the University of Washington’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) and Temple … Read More
New Hearst Fellows Program to Expand Outreach to Early Educators, Parents
The Outreach and Education division of the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences has announced the recipients of a new fellowship intended to expedite the delivery of the latest scientific findings to people working with children. Leoandra Rogers and Jason Yeatman, researchers at I-LABS, are the inaugural fellows of the Hearst Fellowship Program at the Institute. They began their fellowships at the beginning of June. … Read More
Preview: I-LABS Research at Human Brain Mapping Conference
The world’s largest conference for brain imaging researchers will take place June 14-18 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Held at a different location around the globe each year, the Organization for Human Brain Mapping conference is expected to attract about a thousand attendees to its 2015 meeting. About a dozen scientists from the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences will be among the attendees. They … Read More
Smithsonian: Baby Talk Gives Infant Brains a Boost
Studies by researchers at the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences are highlighted in a Smithsonian feature about how infant-directed speech (“parentese”) is much more than child’s play—it’s an important learning tool. The Smithsonian story, published online May 28, includes these I-LABS studies: Infant brains ‘rehearse’ speech mechanics while listeningResearch article available here »Also, Discover magazine named this study one of the top science … Read More
Behind the Scenes at the Museum
Scientists usually don’t hear “Oooo, it’s a scientist!” when they arrive at work. But lately such enthusiasm has greeted researchers from the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences who have taken their work out of the lab and into public. Once a week for the past few months, a trio of I-LABS researchers has been collecting data at a “mobile … Read More
How Do Preschoolers Start Learning Science?
One of the best ways children learn is by copying what they see others do. New findings show they use social observation and imitation to learn invisible scientific concepts. Sir Isaac Newton, as the famous story goes, didn’t formulate the theory of gravity from seeing the property itself, but rather by watching an apple fall from a tree to the … Read More
‘What Could Be More Fascinating?’ Director of I-LABS MEG Facility
Learn how Samu Taulu went from an early interest in math and physics to becoming a world leader in MEG technology. A brain-imaging technique, magnetoencephalography (MEG), is the powerhouse behind some of the most groundbreaking research at the University of Washington’s Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences. With the recent hiring of Samu Taulu as director of the I-LABS’ MEG … Read More
‘Shh! Don’t Wake the Baby:’ Toddlers Understand How Noise Influences Others
Watch a young child shouting in a grocery store or banging a spoon on a table and you might think they don’t realize how their racket affects others. A new study shows that toddlers as young as 2 understand that the sounds they make influence the people around them and know how to adapt the loudness of their activities according … Read More
Ethical Questions for Brain-to-Brain Communication
As science makes steps toward brain-to-brain communication, what ethical questions should society consider? Brain-to-brain communication is a topic that will dominate neuroscience for much of this century, according to a story in the May issue of the Smithsonian magazine. As part of a special report “Innovation for Good: Game Changers,” the Smithsonian story profiles University of Washington research in brain-computer interfaces, and … Read More