Mosquitoes and Ticks: What Can We Do and Why We Should Care?

I’m sure everyone reading this has encountered at least one of these pesky pests before. Today, I’m writing to tell you more about these pests, what we can do, and why we should care about them. While these insects and arachnids play an important role in the food web, they are also vectors of disease. …

The Science of Stress: Helpful Strategies

Not to worry. I wouldn’t give you all of this information if I didn’t have a simple solution for you. Take a deep breath. Are you ready? You just have to ELIMINATE all of your stress! Isn’t that helpful? It’s OK, I scoffed at that too when I read it. It is not a possibility, …

The Science of Stress: Understanding Your Stress Response

What is this so-called physiological stress response? What is actually happening in our brains and in our bodies? Our story begins with a stressor, or some event or experience we perceive as a threat. Imagine you are standing on a sidewalk and hear the sudden blare of a car horn. Looking up, you see a …

Disease Detectives in the Digital Age

Recently, the governor has created a partnership with the developers of the How We Feel app as a tool to help the medical community combat the spread of COVID-19. Apps like these have made significant progress in identifying new symptoms (Neuroscience News). In areas where these apps are being used more broadly, healthcare professionals are …

The Science of Stress: Realizing We Are Not Alone

In 2019, I visited the Ontario Science Centre and was able to attend their award-winning program, “Mental Health: The Science of Anxiety.” Initially, I remember being impressed that they were openly tackling that vital topic. As I sat down, I was given a clicker to share some responses during the presentation. Immediately, I felt my …

Highlighting the Helpers: Educators Edition

These days, educators are working double-time to teach in new ways while balancing their own new normal. We’re all missing the personal connections, and educators are no exception,  finding new and creative ways to keep close from a distance. From supporting colleagues with messages of hope to creating ways to engage students at home, here …

Highlighting the Helpers Around Hartford

Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen the community pull together by staying apart to flatten the curve. From these extraordinary circumstances, we’ve been inspired by innovation, problem -solving, and acts of incredible kindness in our community. From making personal protective equipment (PPE) and using technology to find lifesaving solutions, to supporting the essential workers …

Enabling Student Thinking- From Home!

Whoa, so it might have felt like you blinked and your first few days of “homeschooling” have already flown by. If you’re anything like me, you might stop to think for a moment and realize that you really did not have a great plan going into this. One minute our kids were in school, daycare, …