ENIGMA-U
ENIGMA-U is a free online school focused on neuroscience, neuroimaging, neuropsychology, and basic science literacy. It is geared towards advanced high school and entry-level college and university students who are interested in neuroscience and want additional preparation and mentoring. It is open to anyone with internet access.
Our Mission
ENIGMA-U was created to address inequality in the neurosciences. Currently, social and economic barriers can unfairly disadvantage some students. Lack of access to early mentorship has been identified as one of the primary reasons students from historically excluded backgrounds do not finish STEM degrees at the same rate as their peers. Early mentorship is critical both in providing support and encouragement to students and guiding them to develop the necessary skills and knowledge base. ENIGMA-U provides a foundation of knowledge that will prepare students for formal coursework and/or put them in a better position to seek laboratory positions.
Curriculum
The course consists of a series of lectures by experts in the ENIGMA consortium as well as assignments and quizzes. You can go through these lectures at your own pace. At a pace of one hour of lectures per day, it will take about one semester to complete. Topics will include science literacy, clinical disorders, neuroimaging, and programming. Modules listed in red are available now while the others are in preparation. Included below is a breakdown of the course, and the full list of available lectures can be seen here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1EcCeZwXyCYAnsN9EnoELtzolzMX5a0WU6qXgumaiAiA/edit?usp=sharing
We will soon be establishing two separate tracks – neuropsychology and neuroimaging. Both will have a common core curriculum, and all students are welcome to take both tracks. Neuropsychology and neuroimaging will be our two largest modules, likely with 10-20 hours of lectures, and this way students will not be required to complete all of both if they are specifically interested in one or the other.
| Module | Topics Included |
| Introduction | Overview
Neuroanatomy Neuroimaging basics Pop neuroscience Careers in science |
| College Prep (optional) | College application resources
CV/resume design Preparing for job interviews |
| Science Literacy | The scientific process Reading lay summaries of science |
| Natural Phenomena | Neurodevelopment
Aging Sleep Sex differences |
| Programming | Linux R Python Matlab |
| Clinical Disorders | Depression Bipolar disorder PTSD Schizophrenia ADHD Autism Dyslexia OCD Addiction Eating disorders Antisocial behaviors Anxiety TBI/Concussion Stroke Epilepsy Parkinson’s Alzheimer’s Dementias Headache Multiple Sclerosis Aphasia |
| Statistics | Descriptive Statistics Inferential Statistics |
| Neuropsychology | Cognition overview
Commonly used tests Ethics |
| Research Design | Study design
Clinical research Making figures/tables Scientific writing Data collection safety Replication in science |
| Data Collection | Consent process
MR safety QC during scans |
| Neuroimaging Processing | Basic MR physics
MR modalities T1 MRI dMRI fMRI rsfMRI MRS Image QC FSL FreeSurfer SPM AFNI fMRIPrep MRItrix DSI Studio ExploreDTI Other toolboxes TMS and ultrasound Publicly available datasets |
| Careers in Science | Neuroscience Ph.D.
Psychology Ph.D. Medical school Opportunities with a bachelor’s degree |
| Ethics | Authorship
CITI training Neuroethics Mentorship ethics |
We ask that you create an account when you anticipate having time to do the course. You can complete the course on your own schedule (i.e. no hourly requirement per week or time limit for course), but in order to keep ENIGMA-U free to students we will have to remove inactive accounts after a month.
Do you have expertise in statistics, neuroimaging, neuropsychology, or science education? Join ENIGMA-U as a guest lecturer!
Questions? Contact enigmau22@gmail.com to learn more.