Teaching Boxes

Monks work on teaching boxes during the November, 2013, Science for Monks workshop in Dehradun, India.

 

Brain, Brain, What is a Brain?

Geshes work to determine the similarities and differences between a common object and the brain during the Science for Monks workshop in Dehradun, India (November, 2013).

 

Time for Cricket

During a class break at the Science for Monks workshop in Dehradun, India (November, 2013), the monks take time to play a little cricket. I still don't understand the rules.

 

Increasing Heart Rate

During the November 2013 Science for Monks program in Dehradun, India, participating monks and nuns move quickly to increase their heart rate.  They will then use stethoscopes to see how quickly their heart rate recovers.

 

Rishikesh and Haridwar, India

A visit to the cities of Rishikesh and Haridwar, India.

 

On the Road to Mussoorie

Science for Monks program on the road to the city of Mussoorie, an old British Hill Station in north India.

 

Visit to Songsten Library

Participants in the Science for Monks workshop take a tour of the Songsten Library in Dehradun, India.

 

Slow Reset

It has been four days since returning from Dehradun, India to participate in the Science for Monks program and speaking at the Cosmology and Consciousness II Conference.  My recovery from jet lag is not going as fast as I would like:  I am very tired at about 10 pm and must go to sleep.  But then I am awake at 4 am.

This sleep schedule, however, has allowed me to catch up on reading and writing early in the morning.  Also, I have been able to go back and edit some of the video from the trip.  I'll post these videos to this blog. 

In Transit

Winging my way back to Seattle right now; waiting in the Tokyo (Narita) airport for the final leg of my trip back to Seattle.  Door to door, I estimate that the trip will take about 35 hours:

1.  Dehradun car ride to the airport started at 12:30 pm on Sunday (local time). (1 hour)
2.  Wait at Dehradun airport was about 2 hours.
2.  Flight to Delhi was only 1 hour, but then I had an 8 hour wait for the next flight to Tokyo
3.  Delhi to Tokyo was a 7 hour flight.
4.  Layover in Tokyo was 5 hours.
5.  Tokyo to Seattle will be about 10 hours.
6.  Drive home from the airport is another hour.

1+2+1+8+7+5+10+1 = 35 hours.

Security in Delhi stopped me after my carry-on backpack went through the X-ray machine.  They wanted to know what sharp object I was carrying.  I could not think of any such item and invited them to look through my pack.  My pack contained a camera, computer, a few snacks, but nothing sharp or dangerous.  After rummaging through the pack a little more, the security officer pulled out my reflex hammer!  I brought my reflex hammer to India to demonstrate the knee jerk reflex to the monks and I had left it in my pack.  After explaining the function of the reflex hammer to the security officers, I was free to go.  I would have been happy to give them a demonstration of how the reflex hammer works, but they didn't ask.
 

Goodbye to Dehradun

After two weeks in India working with the Tibetan monks and nuns and several western scientists and educators, I must say goodbye.  In fact, I am writing this blog post from a room in a hotel within the Delhi airport terminal while I wait for an early morning flight to Tokyo where I will be changing planes to Seattle.

 

Cosmology and Consciousness Conference - Day 3

My presentation was at the top of the program this morning.  I spoke about recent advances in neurotechnology including some being pursued at the Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering and some from other research groups around the world.  However, the emphasis of my talk was about moral and ethical issues that arise from this new research.  The Buddhist monastics shared their views and had questions about the control of brain-controlled interfaces.  My talk was followed by Geet Oberoi who works with children and has a program for children with disabilities.

During tea, many of the local Tibetan students had questions for me.  I didn't even have time for tea!  The break was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Bobby Sager.  The audience continued to ask us the scientists and the monks about their perspectives on mind, brain and consciousness.

A car was waiting for me in the Library courtyard at lunch.  I grabbed a quick bite to eat and then it was off to the Dehradun airport.  One last wild ride on the streets of India.
 

Cosmology and Consciousness Conference - Day 2

I started Day 2 of the conference on the sidelines, listening to presentions from Karma Thupten about language and cultural differences between western science and Buddhist philosophy and from Dr. Gaelle Desbordes who spoke about her work investigating how the brain changes after various forms of meditation.  Dr. Rajesh Kasturirangan also spoke about the possibility of using the first person perspective to investigate rather then the traditional western science third person perspective to study consciousness.  After lunch Geshe Lhakdor spoke about expanding the senses and graduate student Nishant Seth spoke about his work converting brain signals to music.

During a tea break, I sat with Dr. Sonam Dolma and asked her for advice about Tibetan medicinal herbs and plants that I could use in my Sowing the Seeds of Neuroscience program.  She advised me that several Tibetan medical herbs are usually used in combination and rarely is a single plant used to treat disease.  Nevertheless, she kind enough to shared with me several herbs that might work.

I joined a panel discussion with Rajesh and Nishant where the monks posed some difficult questions about the western scientific perspective on consciousness and the mind.  I found myself saying things like "I don't know" and "We do not yet have the tools" several times.  In my  opinion, this is a honest answer; one I hope the Tibetan monastics will understand.
 

Now That's an Ant!

I have not seen my lizard friend in several days.  He has either left my room or he is failing at his job because I found another uninvited guest in my room last night.  It was only an ant, but it was quite an impressive specimen. 

Cosmology and Consciousness Conference - Day 1

Today was the first day of the Cosmology and Consciousness Conference.  About 150 Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns and 150 local Tibetan high school students arrived at 9 am for the start of the meeting.  First, their was a procession for horns and a photo of the Dalai Lama that was placed at the front of the lecture hall.  This was followed by some Tibetan chanting and opening remarks from Gesha Lhakdor, Director of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives.

Dr. Bryce Johnson then introduced the western scientists who would speak at the conference and the  meeting was underway.  I switched chairs to become moderator of the session.  The first speaker was Geshe Tempa Phakchok who compared western science ways of knowing to those of the Tibetan Buddhist ways of knowing.  Surprisingly, there were many similiarities.   Geshe Tenpa spoke in Tibetan, but  we had live English translation through earplugs.   After the talk, I moderated questions from a panel of Buddhist monks as well as from the audience who wrote their questions on notecards that  were brought onto the stage.

The next speaker was  cosmologist Dr. Chris Impey from the University of Arizona.  Chris spoke about the how western science knows what it knows, using many astronomy examples.  Unfortunately, the power went out a few times and we lost all lights, powerpoint, and audio through speakers.  Also, the live Tibetan translation was lost. But Chris powered on and the conference continued in "classroom style" where Chris spoke a few sentences that were then translated into Tibetan. 

After Chris' talk and discussion, Dr. Sonam Dolma, a Tibetan medical doctor, spoke about Tibetan medicine.  She discussed in detail the background of Tibetan medicine and presented some results showing the efficacy of Tibetan medicine in treating disease.

Lunch was provided for everyone; the students ate outside under a large tent while  everyone else ate inside.  Before the next session started, a few Tibetan students approached me on the steps to the conference hall with some questions about the brain and sidedness.  All of them were right handed; at  least none of them admitted to being left handed.  I asked if they knew if they were right or left legged, right or left eyed and right or left earred.  None of them knew.  Quickly we were surrounded by about 30 students and I had them all testing themselves for sidedness.

The next two hours were spent in discussion.  I moderated one hour where the monks asked questions to the morning's panelists and the following hour I was one of the panelists answering questions from the monks and high school students.  It was a tiring day, but one where I learned many new things about Tibetan Buddhism.

Tomorrow is a bit easier for me at the conference because I am a panelist for only one session.  My talk is not until the last day, Sunday.

To Rishikesh and Haridwar

Thursday was a day off for the monks and the western educators. And it turned into a long
day.  Two people from the Smithsonian, a University of Arizona professor and I piled into a car at 9 am for the 30 mile (hour and a half) drive to the city of Rishikesh.  This is a city on the Ganges River that has a large number of swamis and yogis.  It also has many tourists and associated tourist shops. The city also has many ashrams were people can  stay for extended periods of time to learn. 

The four of us spent several hours walking through the city and taking in the sights.  There is a narrow bridge over the Ganges River to get from one side of the city to the other.  Suprisingly, the bridge was even used by motorcycles!

After Rishikesh, we drove another 25 miles or so to the city of Haridwar.  Haridwar is much different than Rishikesh.  Haridwar is a Hindu holy city on the Ganges River; many people make a pilgrimages to the site and bathe in the river.
 
Then it was a two hour drive back to Dehradun.  We think the driver got lost in Dehradun because  none of us remember the roads we took back into the city.  But we got home in time for dinner.

 

Last Day of Teaching

Today was the last day of class.  There was no way I was going to get to all of the material that I brought and I had promised the monks that we would discuss consciousness.  So, we finished a discussion of vision with blind spot testers and color aftereffects and then moved on to sleep and dreaming.  I avoided questions about meditation because I am not very familiar with the field of the neuroscience of meditation and an expert on this topic will visit with the monks next week after I leave.

At the conclusion of class, I opened a box of Almond Roca (made in Tacoma, WA) and each monk got a taste of the Pacific Northwest.  Then we all posed for a group photo.

 

Seeing Vision

On Tuesday, we continued to learn about vision by discussing the eyes of different species and the structure of the human eye.  To illustrate how the lens focuses light on the retina, the monks were given magnifying glasses and asked to focus the light coming from outside the classroom onto a piece of paper.  Without understanding what the monks were saying, I could tell that they saw an inverted image.  This is what happens in our eyes: an inverted image of the outside world is projected on the photosensitive cells in our retinas.

We moved on to talk about photoreceptors (rod, cones), how they respond to light and how they are distributed around the retina.  The monks used colored paper to draw letters and numbers and then moved the paper from their peripheral vision to more central vision.  I asked the monks to note when they saw movement, shape, color and then detail.  All of the monks agreed that movement and shape, but not color and detail, can be seen when light activates the peripheral parts of the retina.

Conference Prep

The monks have been preparing for the upcoming "Cosmology and Consciousness" conference that will take place this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  They will participate by asking and answering questions about the presentations, including one that I will give.  Bryce Johnson has been working with the monks to ensure that the speakers will be able have reasonable answers to the questions posted by the monks. 

On Monday afternoon, I listened to drafts of the questions. Some of the monks (Geshes) like to talk a lot, and it takes them a long time to actually get to the question.  This makes it difficult for the translator to make an accurate translation because there is too much to translate.  Most of the questions the monks have planned are very good and should lead to some interesting discussion at the conference.  

Another group of monks is preparing an exhibition about the Buddhist and Western perspective of climate change.  Staff from the Smithsonian Institution have flown in to help this group build the exhibits which will be shown here during the Cosmology and Consciousness conference.

From English to Tibetan and Back Again

Although a few of the monks understand a bit of English, most of the monastics need everything I say to be translated into Tibetan.  This translation is taken care of by the excellent staff of the Library of Tibetan Works & Archives.  They make it look so easy, and with their background in science, the translators ensure that the monks are getting an accurate translation of what I say.  And the translation of the monks' questions in Tibetan back to me in English is equally important.  Not only are my spoken words translated into Tibetan, my slides are also converted to Tibetan text so the monks can read my words.

Week 2 Begins

After a day off from class, we picked up where we left off.  I had promised the monks that we would have a chance to test a system where they could control a computer with the signals from their brains.  But first, I discussed methods that neuroscientists use to examine the anatomy and function of the brain.  I showed images of brain tissue stained for neuronal cell bodies (nissl stain) and other images of neurons where the entire cell is stained (Golgi stain). 

We also talked about different ways to record the electrical activity from the brain (e.g., intra- and extracellular recording, electrocorticography and electroencephalography) and brain scanning techniques (PET, CAT, MRI, fMRI).  The monks are thinking about the brain in 3-dimensions now and can easily pick out the major structures of the brain and know what plane of the brain (sagittal, horizontal, frontal) they are looking at.

The program purchased two Emotiv headsets that have 14 electrodes that can be placed on the scalp to record EEG.  The EEG can be used to control the direction of movement of a floating cube by the pattern of electrical brain signals.  For some reason, I could not get a good signal from  the first monk I tried and the system did not work.  so, we got another volunteer and added some more saline solution to the electrodes.  This time it worked!  The monk was able to make the floating move in two different directions by concentrating and performing mathematical functions.

We moved on to other ways that scientists study the brain including animal studies and clinical examination of people who have injuries to their brain.  Finally, we talked about mapping the brain with electrical stimulation and how some areas of the skin have more sensory receptors and how more area of the cerebral cortex was devoted to those areas.  I thought this was a good time for the monks to confirm this statement, so I gave them ruler, toothpick and tape to  perform a two-point discrimination experiment.  The monks tested each other by measuring the minimum distance between two points where the two points felt separate.  As expected, the monks noticed that the face and fingers had a much smaller distance where they detected two point than they had on their arms, backs and legs.


It was a good thing everyone was doing a hands-on activity because the power went out! About 20 minutes later, after analyzing and discussing the results of the 2-point discrimination test, we started a discussion of the senses.  I plan to start with vision before moving on to hearing, touch and the chemical senses.  There are only three more lectures planned and  there is no way I will get to everything.
 

Monkey Business

In an earlier blog post, I mentioned that there were many monkeys in Mussoorie.  Some of the monkeys were rhesus monkeys (macaques).  Another type of monkey I saw had grey hair and its face was fringed with white hair.  I am guessing that this other monkey is a langur.  Most of the monkeys stayed away from people, but a few of them scavenged for food in garbage cans or sat on fences, rails or rooftops along the side of the road.  I took the photos below on a walk to the Mussoorie city town center.

 

Chai vs Coffee

As far as I can tell, Tibetan tea (chai) is a blend of black tea, milk, sugar and special spices, including perhaps cardamom.  The monks are served tea in between classes and all of them take advantage of this break to enjoy this hot drink and talk to each other. 

I've taken a liking to Chai, but I still enjoy a hot cup of coffee in morning.  And thanks to a hot pot, some instant coffee and powdered creamer, I can have a "cup o' joe" when I wake up.

Up to Mussoorie

After 6 days of teaching and learning, everyone took a break and there were no classes scheduled.   Instead, the monks, nuns and western educators went on a field trip to the city of Mussoorie.   Mussoorie is a hill station set in the hillside above Dehradun.  Mussoori is located at an elevation of about 6,000 feet so everyone brought warm clothes in case the weather was cool.

The bus met us outside the gates of the Songsten Library at 9 am.  We did not get more than a minute or so on our journey when we found our way blocked by a pickup truck loading dirt.We could not back up and the truck refused to move until the truck was loaded.  So we sat and waited.  A few of the monks got off the bus to watch the work and put a little pressure on the workers to get the job done.  After 10 minutes, we were back on our way.

The trip up to Mussoorie is a steep winding road with more switchbacks and hairpin turns than I care to remember.  We made a stop at a Buddhist college about halfway up the hill.  Everyone got out of the bus to tour the colorful, immaculate grounds.  We also posed for many photo opportunities and then it was back to the bus.

Mussoorie is only a distance of 20 miles, but it took us more than an hour to drive there because of the bad traffic and poor road that often went from two lanes to one lane.  But we eventually made it and stopped after we went through the city.  We walked to "park" that combined gardens,  amusement rides, games and restaurant.  After a cup of chai, some of us hiked back to the city center while the monks went their separate ways with instructions to be back at the bus at 4:15 pm.
 
Along the way to the city, we had great views of the Himalayan mountains.  Those white peaks in the distance are mountains, not clouds!   There were also many monkeys along the road and in trees.  I recognized some of the monkeys as macaques, but am not sure of the name of the other type of monkey.  Bryce, Tori, Chris and I found a nice restaurant in a restaurant above the city after walking through the bazaar. 

After some great Indian food, we walked back to the bus to meet the monks...well most of them.  A few monks waited in the city center.  When the bus approached them, the driver opened the door, and slowed the bus, but didn't stop.  So the monks jumped into the rolling bus and we were back on our way down the hill back to town.

We arrived back at the library at about 5:30 pm, with plenty of time before dinner at 7:00 pm.

 

Chai Time, Again

Before dinner, Tori, Bryce and I walked down the main road for chai (tea).  There we met three of the monks from the program and joined them.  As we sat down, the monks were brought their tea and before we had a chance to say "no", they gave us their cups.  Of course we ordered three more cups of tea and soon we were all enjoying a hot cup.

A warning about Tibetan monks at tea.  If you see one get up, he is headed to the cashier to pay for you.  We insisted that we should pay, but he would not hear of it.

Office Hours - Part 2

On Saturday from 4:30 to 5:30 pm, I held my second open office hours.  About 12 monks stopped by to chat.  This time I wanted to learn from them so I started a conversation about brain death and organ donation.  I explained the western definition of brain death and the possibility of organ donation and asked for their opinion. 

All of the monks thought that organ donation in cases where a person was considered brain dead was acceptable.  They spoke of instances in  Buddhist texts where someone sacrificed themselves for others.  We also touched on the topic of brain scans to detect deception and lying and cases where such technology would be acceptable.  I explained that many of these ethical questions are being debated in the west and that answers to such dilemmas are difficult.

Time for Cricket

After second period before lunch, the monks like to play cricket.  I must admit that I don't understand the rules at all.  Apparently the pitcher throws the ball at a target.  The batter must protect the target from getting hit by the ball.  If the ball strikes the target or if the batter hits the ball and it is caught on the fly, then the batter is out.  I am sure that I am missing much of the game, but that's what I saw.  I am not sure where the running fits in.

I got a chance to bat when I caught a ball hit to me.  As a batter, I hit the first pitch that was caught immediately for an out.  I begged for another chance.  My second swing?  Also a fly ball that was caught for another out.

I think I'll stick to baseball.

Power, no Power

Electricity has been a problem here in Dehradun with frequent power outages.  Each day, the power goes out four or five times.  Sometimes the power comes back on in 15-20 minutes, but sometimes it stays off for hours.  Last night we lost power at dinner and then again at 9:30 pm.  The power did not return until about 5 am.  Then we lost power again at breakfast and it stayed off thoughout my class.

I had planned to demonstrate recording of the EEG and using those electrical signals to  control a device using the Emotiv Epoc headsets.  However, because there was no power, I could not do the demo.  Instead, I taught the monks how to make neurons from string and then we started our discussion on the senses.  We discussed how we have many specialized receptors to detect different types of energy in the environment.  I had many PowerPoint slides with this information, but could not use them.  So, we did the ruler drop experiment to test reaction time for vision, hearing and touch.

The monks formed pairs and did multiple tests of the sensory response time.  After they averaged their data, the monks added their data to a white board at the front of the room.  Some of the numbers looked impossible, but we discussed how and why it is important that all data are considered.  Only if there is a valid reason to discard data should it ever be done; all data are important, not just the ones that fit expectations.

The monks were curious about why we did not test smell and taste.  I challenged them to think of an experiment that would test these senses and some of the difficulties they might face. After class, one monk approached me with some questions.  He wanted to know why scientists did not study the heart.  I mentioned that scientists do study the heart, but because I am a neuroscientist, I study the brain.

We will get to the EEG demonstration on Monday...if we have electricity.

Return of the Lizard

My lizard friend made a return to my room; maybe he never left.  I have not seen any spiders or centipedes or caterpillars, so perhaps he is doing a good job.

 

On the Road

After lunch, Tori, Modesto and I walked down the main road to a Tibetan settlement.  Tori wanted to purchase some Tibetan flags to bring home.  The settlement was about a mile down the road, so we joined the procession of motorcycles, cars, cows, dogs, trucks, buses and people. Unfortunately, Tori did not find what she was looking for so it was back up the road.  Along the way, we stopped for a tasty drink of Appy Fizz.

I also stopped at a monastery on the way back where I saw a basketball court.  No one was playing at the time, so I'll stop back later in the week.  Later that evening, the skies turned dark and a huge lightning and thunder storm rolled in.  Of course, we lost power almost immediately.

If It's Friday...

Friday's lecture started with questions and answers about the previous day's lecture.  Then we discussed the parts of a neuron, the resting potential, the action potential and neurotransmission.  We also had time to go into the courtyard to play the "Pass the Neurotransmitter" game.  Each monk became a neuron where one arm was a dendrite, their bodies were cell bodies, the other arm was an axon and a hand was the synaptic terminal.  For neurotransmitters, we used small rocks.  

The monks were quite competitive when we set up a race to see which team could get their messages to the end of the neuron chain the fastest.  We also demonstrated the benefits of having myelin surrounding axons:  faster conduction velocity.  My only regret is that I was so  busy teaching and getting the monks organized, I did not have time to take photos.  However, I did see other people taking pictures, so I hope someone sends me some images.

Dining in Dehradun

On Thursday night, the western educators and scientists took the Tibetan translators out to dinner in downtown Dehradun.  The drive into town was the usual erratic, heart-stopping adventure, but we all made it safely to the Black Pepper Restaurant.  Dinner started with some appetizers followed by a variety of Indian specialities.  I don't remember everything we ordered, but no one went away hungry.  I give the Black Pepper a hearty recommendation, so stop by the next time you are in Dehradun.

Office Hours

A little rain this afternoon surprised me because I thought November was the dry season and did not bring any rain gear.   It would be great if this rain clears the air.

Each day at the Science for Monks workshop is divided into periods.  Breakfast is served at 8 am, lunch at 1 pm and dinner at 7 pm.  All food here is vegetarian and everyone eats the same food in a cafeteria (the mess).  Classes are divided into four sessions.  Session 1 runs from 9 am to 10:30 am; Session 2 from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm; Session 3 from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm; Session 4 from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm.  I lecture for one or two sessions each day and help the monks construct science boxes for another session each day.  Today during lecture we finished the discussion of the brain anatomy and tomorrow we will talk about the neuron and neurotransmission.

Chai (tea) time occurs in between each class when everyone goes back to the cafeteria for tea mixed with milk and spices.  The monks also use this time to get on the Internet!  We have one wireless Internet connection in a room near the classrooms.  However, the wireless signal does not travel very far.  Many of the monks have cell phones and computers (and Facebook pages), so everyone has to gather just outside the room to use the Internet.

Yesterday afternoon from 4:30-5:30 pm, I held "office hours."  About 12 monks showed up and we formed a circle of chairs.  The monks fired off questions they had about lecture material.  This gave me a chance to expand on several topics that were not discussed in class.  The monks are very interested in learning how western science has come to understand the brain and I have a lecture prepared about neuroscience methods including recording techniques, cell staining and brain imaging.  The monks also shared stories about people they knew who had neurological problems.  One monk mentioned a man at his monastery who could understand language but could not speak.  Although we could not diagnose this man's disorder, we talked about Broca's and Wernicke's aphasia and the brain areas involved with language.

New Visitor

I had a new visitor to my room that had less than 8 legs last night:  this one only had 4 legs. I had just returned to my room after an evening presentation by monks who taught older monks about neurons and neurotransmission.  I surprised a small lizard when I turned on the light.  The lizard froze for long enough for me to take its picture.  Then it ran under my bed where I left it  alone.  I am hoping that my new friend will take care of any smaller "friends" it encounters.

By the way, the monks did a great job with their presentation by constructing a neuron model similar to the one I showed them two years ago.

Tour of Songsten Library

After class on Tuesday, a tour of the Songsten Library was arranged for the monks and western educators.  The library contains many Tibetan books and Buddhist texts.  The monks explored the library and read passages texts that they found interesting.  I found a book in English about Tibetan Medicinal Plants that may be of interest to the Sowing the Seeds of Neuroscience Team back in Seattle.

We also climbed the steps to the rooftop of the library for a view of the Himalayan foothills and  surrounding valley.  Temps are starting to cool down, but daytime temperature are likely in the low 70s.

Hand Held Teaching

After three days of teaching, I am only a lecture or two behind schedule.  Before I arrived in India, I sent my slides to be translated into Tibetan.  Because the monks speak little or no English, it is important that they can read the slides.  However, having my slides in Tibetan makes things difficult for me because I can't read them!

I have ended up using two computers:  one computer projects the Tibetan version of my slides onto a screen and one computer with my English slides I carry around the classroom to make sure I don't forget any important points.  It makes for quite a balancing act, but my small netbook computer is well-suited for this.

The danger using a computer/projector system is the possibility that the power will go out.  Yesterday, the power went out 5-6 times.  One time the power went out just as the class was doing a comparative neuroanatomy activity.  The monks had learned the basic parts of the brain and were now looking at a slide of six different brain and deciding which brain belonged to which animal.  Right then, the power went out.  It wasn't too much of a problem because many of the monks carry cell phones and took photos of the slide.  (There are even a few monks with tablet computers and I-Pads.)  The power stayed out for about 15 minutes.

Day 2 Classes

Today's class started with a question:  "Why do you want to learn about the brain?"  I had the geshes spend 2-3 minutes to write down their thoughts and then they shared their ideas with the others.  I also presented some ideas about why I thought everyone should be interested in the brain.

We then went into an overview of the functions of the nervous system; I started it off by juggling some tennis balls and asking what my brain was doing to help me juggle.  We also played the "Brain, Brain, What is a Brain" game where groups of monks received an object and had to write down how their object was similar and different than the brain.

I had time to mention the two type of cells in the brain (neurons and glia) and briefly talk about cerebrospinal fluid.  We'll do the egg drop experiment tomorrow.

During my entire lecture, I was carrying my little laptop computer in my hands.  My computer has my slides in English while the projection to the screen at the front of the class had my slides that were translated into Tibetan.  Of course, I couldn't read the Tibetan, so I occasionally looked down at my computer to make sure I hit all of the important points.

 

No New Spiders, But...

No spiders in my bed last night.  However, I was welcomed in the morning by a new creature,  perhaps a centipede or some type of caterpillar?  He/she was just wandering around the bathroom floor.

I am waking up every 2 hours or so.  Sometimes I can get back to sleep, but as I type this post, it is 3:30 am (2 pm Seattle time).

First Day of Teaching

After a quick breakfast of toast and jam, it was off to class for the first day of teaching.   I started by talking about my journey as a scientist and the work I do at the University of Washington and the Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering.  The monks were very curious about how I became a neuroscientist and found it strange that my father did not tell me what to do or what career I should pursue.

The history of neuroscience was next.  Of course, it is difficult to do the entire history of neuroscience in 60 minutes, so I just hit a few milestones:  trephining, Eqyptian contributions, Aristotle, Hipposcrates, Galen, Vesalius, Galvani, Volta, Phineas Gage, Broca, Golgi, Cajal,  Loewi and Huxley.

After lunch, I worked with a group of monks who is making teaching boxes.  These boxes are filled with supplies and activities about a particular scientific topic.  The group I worked with was creating a "vision" teaching box.  The activity they showed me was an eye model made with agar (a gelatin-like material), a small clear bead for the lens, a plastic sheet for the cornea, a string for the optic nerve and various colored papers for the other parts of  the eye such as the retina and sclera.  They had me explain how the right and left visual  fields end up on the opposite sides of the brain.

 I also watched another group present their activity to the other monks.  This group was creating a box about the circulatory system and how exercise changes heart rate.  After a baseline recording of pulse rate, the monks raced outside and jumped up and down to get their hearts going.  Then they rushed back inside and took their pulse.

In the afternoon, Modesto and I walked down to a small tea shop by the main road, a 10 minute walk from the Songsten Library.  Instead of tea, we got small boxes of guava juice. It must have taken me 20 minutes to drink the juice because the thin straw kept collapsing.  I was back at the same tea shop later that evening for chai (tea); one cup of chai for
8 rupees (~17 cents).

First Spider

I was warned...they do have big spiders here!  As I was getting my bed ready, I spread out the sheets and there it was.  It did not look like a dangerous spider, rather it looked like a large garden spider, but I really don't know.  As you might imagine, I shook out all of the  sheets, but did not find any more "roommates."  Because it is Diwali, there are fireworks  going off everywhere.  It sounds like a war zone.  We'll see how much sleep I get.

Dehradun Street Scene

It seems like a wild ride from the airport to anywhere in India is customary.  Here is a sample of the ride from the Dehradun airport.
 

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On to Dehradun

The flight from Delhi to Dehradun was on time.  The Derhadun airport is quite small.  In fact, there were only two planes at the entire airport and I was on was one of them.  The drive from the airport to the workshop location at Sungsten Library took about an hour.  As expected, the drive was a wild one: dodging oncoming cars, motorcycles, bicycles, bus and people;  avoiding cows in the middle of the road, and going around slow moving trucks.  The driver of the car said he saw an elephant in the middle of the road a few days earlier.  I did not see any elephants, but I did see many monkeys on the side of the road.

After I arrived at the Sungsten Library, I was given some fruit, bottled water and a chocolate bar.  The other western educators took a trip to Rishikish, a town close by, so there was no one around.  I took the opportunity to explore the grounds and get some sunshine to fight help with the jet lag.  The library is set a few miles from the Himalayan foothills in a really beautiful environment.  The weather seems to be nice with temperatures around 80 degrees.

View from my room

My room is located on the first floor of a building opposite the library building.  It has electricity and hot water, although I have been told that the electricity often goes out.  I have also been  warned about some large spiders and insects.  I haven't seen any yet, but will try to get a photo if I do.

At about 4 pm, Bryce Johnson, Director of the Science for Monks program and Modesto Tamez, a science educator at the Exploratorium, came back from their excursion.  We talked for a while and then met up with Geshe Lakhdor, Director of the Tibetan Library.  We all walked down to a
local tea shop for a cup of tea.

Then it was back to the library grounds where I got updated about the workshop and program.
Tomorrow is my first day of teaching.

First Day in India

Woke up to a very hazy day after getting about 5 hours of sleep.  The haze is actually  smoke and the air smells like burning wood.  I would guess the smoke is so thick that visibility is less than one mile.

After a nice buffet breakfast at the hotel, I arrange to have a car take me back to the airport. Today is Diwali, a major festival celebrated throughout India.  All of the hotel staff wished me a "Happy Diwali".

Just getting the airport is an ordeal.  There are multiple security checks and speed bumps on the approach to the terminal.  To get into the terminal, passengers must show their passport and boarding pass to soldiers standing outside the entrance. Although the line to get a boarding pass was only 8 or 9 people, it took about 1 hour just to get to the counter.  Not sure why it takes so long.  The Delhi airport is only about 3 years old and very large.   A good pair of shoes comes in handy for the hike from security to departure gates.

Same for security.  The line was very short, but it took a long time to get through the scanner.  Not only do passengers walk through an x-ray machine, they are also subject to a pat down and hand-carried metal detector.  My carry on backpack also went through extra screening:  although I had already removed my computer from my backpack, security had me take out my camera and all of the cords in the pack.  It was not too much trouble but a little unusual. 

At least I got to keep my shoes on.

In India!

After being in transit for about 24 hours (see photo to right), I have made it to India.  All of the flights were on time and smooth; no problems at all.  Even on landing in Delhi there were  no problems at immigration, no problem exchanging money, my bag was waiting for me at baggage claim and a driver and car from the hotel were waiting for me.  

The hotel I am staying at is only 3 kilometers from the airport, but there is no direct route.  So cars have to drive about 15 kilometers to get to the hotel from the airport.  I looks like the grounds of the hotel have a nice garden and I may have a chance to see them before I head back to the airport in about 7 hours for my flight to Dehradun.

Time to get some sleep!

Inside the Hotel Room

Halfway There

Sitting in the airport in Narita (Tokyo) right now, waiting for the next flight to Delhi.  The flight into Japan was problem free.  I was on one of the new Boeing 787s which was quite nice.  Lots of legroom in the economy section.  The plane also has windows that tint with a small button.  Of course, I had to give that button a try.

The older woman sitting in the seat next to me started a conversation with me.  She was on her way to meet some friends and they would tour Japan together.  Somehow we got on the topic of animals and she mentioned that she was afraid of lizards.  In fact, she was so afraid of lizards that she has had to change hotel rooms when she saw one on a recent vacation.  She was not afraid of all reptiles, just lizards.  I did not think it would help if I told her the name for a phobia of lizards is "scoliodentosaurophobia," so I did not mention it.