katierDESMA9

I really enjoyed being introduced to nanotechnology this week, as I had not understood much about how it permeates our everyday life in so many ways. I had this mental image of scientists in a lab looking at atoms, very separate from anything I would need to use. However, I had no idea that the leggings I wear every day contain silver nanoparticles to make them microbial (Gimzewski). It is important for people to learn about nanotechnology because many do not realize how it impacts us. For example, using nanotechnology to make different kinds of pesticides or “health” supplements impacts us on a very personal level because it could influence the choices we make about how we fuel our bodies (Gimzewski). With new “health” fads being so influential these days, it is important that we have enough information to make a conscious decision about whether or not something we eat is healthy. Art has such a large role to play in this space because it can help people who are not nano-...

A lot of this week’s works reminded me of things I learned in Psych 115: Behavioral Neuroscience, where I was first introduced to the work of Santiago Ramon y Cajal and to the “Brainbow” (Vesna). Thanks to the work of Ramon y Cajal, the foundation for brain imaging was laid, and many people have since taken artistic approaches to drawing the brain.  Ramon y Cajal's drawing of the brain While I was doing my midterm project, I found a Brain Art Exhibition from NeuroBureau, which took submissions of artists’ renderings of the brain. Each rendition is very unique and focused on different aspects of the brain, demonstrating just how complex our minds are in their ability to replicate and interpret themselves! In the reading this week, I was struck by how Frazzetto and Anker noted that in our “neuroculture,” we see the brain as a main component of our identities. Indeed, without our own experiences and memories, all of which are stored in our brains, it would be difficult for ...