Reading A Mind

Abstract

When I started collecting EEG data, I was blown away by how beautiful it can be. Each line corresponding to a different electrode is a different color, creating a rainbow of squiggles running across a light purple background. Participants were amazed that we could tell– even from a different room– anytime they moved their head, clenched their jaw, or just got sleepy. When I took a neuroscience class on sleep and circadian rhythm with Dr. Cavanaugh, I became even more impressed with this sort of “mind reading” because these little waves could tell the story of how our brains change during wake and throughout sleep. I have tried to illustrate this concept with the left side depicting what EEG waves might look like during waking hours and the right side depicting what these waves might look like at night and during sleep. On the left, the waves are lower amplitude and higher frequency. As someone who\u27s awake and restful transitions into sleep, the waves on the right show higher amplitudes and waveforms like K-complexes characteristic of NREM sleep. I combined this concept with another inspiration: how beautiful failure can be in the sciences. When there are issues or mistakes collecting EEG data– an electrode falls out or is damaged, the participant moves, or the connection is poor– the EEG looks wild and beautiful. In the middle of the piece I have tried to convey this. Some waves simply wobble while others wander across the screen in a chaotic pattern. While none of these are good for data collection, they remind me of how essential failure is to the scientific process. I hope this piece can be a reminder to students– and faculty– to embrace this failure more, even and especially when it’s difficult to do so