Welcome to my new blog, neuroBLOGical! My name is Jordan, and I'm a 22-year old graduate student in the Neuroscience program at Penn State Hershey. I'm a native of the Baltimore area, and graduated from the beautiful St. Mary's College of Maryland in May with my Bachelor's in Biology and Neuroscience. 

I have had an interest in neuroscience since 8th grade—that's possibly before I even knew what "neuroscience" meant. The brain fascinated me, and I wanted to learn everything that I could about the mysterious 3-lb. organ that simultaneously controlled my thoughts, speech, and movement.

I've worked in a number of labs, from cellular (a model of Huntington's disease) to organismal (salamander limb regeneration), from chemical (measuring vitamin D levels) to behavioral (RATS!). Conducting scientific research is fascinating, but can also be extraordinarily tedious. I can't tell you how many times I used to nod off in the dark microscopy room after being awake since 5 AM for my college rowing practices. 

To protect myself from the occasional disappointment that sometimes accompanies failed experiments, I've always enjoyed reading about a wide variety of scientific topics, usually in popular science magazines (such as Scientific American and Discover). Recently, I too have become interested in sharing my love of brains with scientists and lay audiences alike in the form of blogging.

A recent poll suggests that 75% of the public trusts scientists. As a neuroscientist and lover of words, I feel a great responsibility to erect a bridge between the scientific community and the rest of society. Science can be accessible and understandable to everybody—not just those in lab coats and goggles—and my aim with this blog is to make it so!

Please feel free to comment on posts, or contact me with questions and suggestions for posts. I look forward to getting to know my new LabSpaces community!