From Neurons to Picasso: How the Brain Makes Art was an honors seminar that endeavored to bridge the discipline gap between neuroscience and art. This course focused first on the brain and art as individual topics before combining the two subjects in class-wide discussions that allowed for a variety of different opinions and outlooks.

Throughout the semester in which this course took place, our class was assigned weekly reading and written responses as a reflection on the discussions that took place in class. Most of the course was discussion-based, and these discussions were some of my favorite parts of the course. Since this was an honors seminar and not a major-specific course, there was a wide range of majors represented by the people participating in the discussions, and everyone had different ideas that often reflected what they study. I enjoyed hearing the different opinions of my classmates, as they reflected on what they find most important in the discussions and in their own lives. Participating in this course reinforced my belief that it is important to talk to a variety of people with different backgrounds in order to expand your own knowledge and experiences. Being open to others, even when they have different opinions or beliefs, is what makes the world a better place.

Below is a photo of myself with my final project for this class. One of the topics we had discussed in the course was the evolution of tools, so I decided to 3D model and print a representation of part of the tool evolution timeline. From left to right, the tools are a rock, a primitive spear, a hammer and anvil, and a screw. I had chosen these tools as they are a good representation of the early evolution of tools and, up until the screw, were tools that we are not as familiar with.

Photo Credit: LIsa Spraul