INS NYC 2024 Program
| Symposium |
02/16/2024 Symposia 10: Increasing collaboration, sample representativeness, and access to neuroscience education: the ENIGMA working groups Simposium #2
ENIGMA-U: A Free Online Resource for Increasing Representation from Historically Excluded Groups in Neuropsychology and Neuroimaging Research
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| As with many scientific fields, neuroscience and neuropsychology have disproportionately few individuals from historically excluded groups (HEGs). Although there are many factors underlying this discrepancy across all levels of academia, one significant barrier to entry is access to mentorship. Providing curated access to information may help bridge this gap and provide students with a springboard for further opportunities for development and learning. ENIGMA-U is an online school hosted by the Unik Learning Management System focused on neuroscience, neuropsychology, and neuroimaging fundamentals. Being geared toward advanced high school/entry-level university students, ENIGMA-U covers topics such as neuroanatomy, brain development, computer programming, statistics, and clinical disorders, along with practical information such as careers and school and job applications.
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Participants and Methods:
ENIGMA-U launched officially on September 2, 2022, and to date, a total of 738 students from 76 countries have enrolled (Figure below).
Results:
Feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive, with many students reaching out to express their appreciation for the resource. The huge response to ENIGMA-U highlights the need for accessibility to the neurosciences, including didactics and access to research labs. As further material is added we will increase outreach to non-English speaking individuals and those with reduced access to technology. We are also pursuing funding to establish the eventual ENIGMA-U Internship Network.
Conclusions:
ENIGMA-U leverages the team science framework and hundreds of scientists to provide unparalleled outreach, training, and mentorship for those typically excluded from the neurosciences. The diversity of students who have registered for the course so far, suggests that this platform may be an effective tool for not only training and providing resources, but also advancing recruitment of students from HEGs into neuroscience and neuropsychology.