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Laura Cyckowski's profile

	Laura Cyckowski lcyckows [at] brynmawr [dot] edu Listed here are materials and models found throughout Serendip that I've developed and/or collaborated on. All models on the pages linked to the left were created with NetLogo.
Exploring Mental Health
A collection of materials and resources aimed to promote "productive interaction among people from diverse perspectives... and continual exploration of issues relating to mental health and broader issues relating to body/brain/mind/self..."; Organized around four topics: From The Inside, Neurobiology, Culture and Behavior, and Intersections.
Models of Mental Health
Models of Mental Health: A Critique and Prospectus - A collection of essays exploring the ways mental health and illness has been and could be better understood.
The Three Doors of Serendip
Making Sense of Understanding - An exhibit and models exploring unconscious/intuitive, conscious/observational, and concious/rational types of understanding through the Three Door Problem.
Emergence in Ant Colonies
Ant Colonies: Social Organization Without a Director? - An exhibit and set of models exploring the emergence of social behavior and organization in colonies of ants.
Deterministic and Non-deterministic Emergence
Ways of Making Sense of the World: From Primal Patterns to Deterministic and Non-deterministic Emergence - An exhibit and models using cellular automata to explore emergent behavior and, more broadly, different approaches to inquiry.
Hofstadter's Road Sign
"Reality": Construction, Deconstruction, and Reconstruction - An exhibit and associated model exploring how the brain constructs perceptions.
Chance
Chance in Life and the World - An exhibit and model examining chance, randomness, and statistical regularities.
"Reality"?: Construction, Deconstruction, and Reconstruction
A collection of exhibits involving perception, reality, and visual processing, including: Contrast/Color "Illusions", Spiral Illusion, Ball and Shadow Illusion, Figure Ground Reversal, Presumptions Underlying Contrast Illusions.
Diffusion (in progress)
From Random Motion to Order: Diffusion and Some of its Implications - An exhibit and model exploring diffusion.
Imaging Similarities and Differences Among Brains
A look at the similarities in differences between individual brains as revealed by magnetic resonance and diffusion tensor imaging. Created for Bio 202 at Bryn Mawr College.
TRADITIONAL PUBLICATIONS Peer-reviewed Ashtari M, Cyckowski LL, Monroe JF, Marshall KA, Chung DC, Auricchio A, Simonelli F, LeRoy BP, Maguire AM, Shindler KA, Bennett J. The human visual cortex responds to gene therapy-mediated recovery of retinal function. The Journal of Clinical Investigation, 121(6):2160–2168. doi:10.1172/JCI57377. Ashtari M, Avants B, Cyckowski L, Cervellione KL, Roofeh D, Cook P, Gee J, Sevy S, Kumra S. Medial temporal structures and memory functions in adolescents with heavy cannabis use. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 2011 Feb 4. [Epub ahead of print] doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2011.01.004 Book chapters Ashtari M and Cyckowski L (2011) Brain development during adolescence, in Handbook of Growth and Growth Monitoring in Health and Disease, in press. Springer: London. Ashtari M and Cyckowski L (2011) Vulnerability of adolescent brain growth to cannabis, in Handbook of Growth and Growth Monitoring in Health and Disease, in press. Springer: London. Abstracts Cyckowski L, Ashtari M, Marshall K, Maguire A, Shindler K, Bennett J. Lack of cross-modal plasticity in Leber’s congenital amaurosis patients receiving gene therapy. Human Brain Mapping, 2011: Quebec City, Canada. No. 4846. Ashtari M, McIlree C, Naraine M, Cyckowski L, Milanaik R, Kan L, Newcorn J, Elia J, Adesman A. White Matter abnormality in a group of young drug-naïve ADHD patients. Human Brain Mapping, 2011: Quebec City, Canada. No. 4882. Ashtari M, Cyckowski LL, Monroe JF, Marshall KA, Chung DC, Auricchio A, Simonelli F, Leroy BP, Maguire AM, Shindler KS, Bennett J. Human Visual Cortex Response To Gene Therapy. The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology & International Society for Imaging in the Eye Imaging Conference, 2011: Fort Lauderdale, FL. On-line. Cyckowski L, McIlree C, Avants B, Cook P, Naraine M, Milanaik R, Kan L, Newcorn J, Elia J, Gee J, Adesman A, and Ashtari M. Effect of psychostimulants on basal ganglia structures in young ADHD children. Proceedings of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 2011: Montréal, Canada. Ashtari M, Mcilree C, Naraine M, Cyckowski L, Milanaik R, Kan L, Newcorn J, Elia J, Adesman A. Diffusion abnormalities in young drug naïve ADHD Children. Proceedings of the International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine, 2011: Montréal, Canada. Ashtari M, Avants B, Cyckowski L, Cervellione K, Gee J, Sevy S, Kumra S (2010) Effects of heavy cannabis use on the medial temporal structures. Human Brain Mapping, 2010: Barcelona, Spain. Ashtari M, McIlree C, Avants B, Narain M, Cyckowski L, Milanaik R, Kan L, Gee J, Adesman A (2010) Neuroimaging of psychostimulant treatment in children with ADHD. Human Brain Mapping, 2010: Barcelona, Spain. ADDITIONAL MATERIALS Brain Injury and Mental Health - Notes from a talk What does reality look like?: Variations in Perception and their Significance - An essay, July 2009. Current Materials relating to Mental Health - A listing of external web articles relating to mental health; updated regularly. Mental Health and the Brain Working Group - A discussion group (spring/summer 2009) revolving around the brain and it's implications for mental health, and vice versa. Includes summaries of conversations and on-line forums. Coordination without a leader: flocking - An exploration of a model of flocking behavior in birds. Synesthesia and Perception: The Brain Constructing the World - A collaboration between Serendip and Painted Bride Art Center, associated with the Synesthesia exhibit; a virtual art exhibit with complementary Serendip materials. Exploring Disability: Images and Thoughts - An exhibit showcasing the digital artwork of David Alan Feingold. Ambiguous Figures and The Necker Cube - An exhibit exploring how the brain constructs perceptions. Making Sense of Depression - A synthesis of materials to understand depression from a variety of perspectives. A Coldness and Desertion of the Spirit - David Hume's Letter to a Physician, which describes his experience of depression. Exploring Mental Health: A Working Group - Archives/links from the 2007 discussion group. Individuals and Culture - An organization of materials exploring the relationships between individuals and their culture. Introduction to NetLogo - A brief tutorial for K-12 science teachers on using NetLogo to create educational materials.