STEM-Talk: Tommy Wood shares science-backed strategies to enhance your mental sharpness

Dr. Tommy Wood rejoins Drs. Ken Ford and Dawn Kernagis for the second of his two-part interview about his just released book, “The Stimulated Mind: Future-Proof Your Brain from Dementia and Stay Sharp at Any Age.”

Tommy is a neuroscientist and associate professor at the University of Washington where he runs a neuroscience lab. He also is a visiting research scientist at IHMC who has been a frequent STEM-Talk guest and occasional co-host.

In today’s part two of his interview, Tommy shares science-backed strategies to enhance mental sharpness and prevent cognitive decline, including Alzheimer’s disease. Dawn and Ken talk to Tommy about how to future-proof our brains and the importance of diet and exercise for brain health. Tommy also emphasizes the importance of stimulating and challenging our brains by learning new things throughout our lifespans. In part one of his interview, episode 193, Tommy discussed the history of neuroscience as well as his mission to dispel the myth that the brain is doomed to decline with age.

In episode 194, Tommy also talks about:

— How what we eat has a direct effect on our long-term health and dementia risk.

— The importance of nutrients and how women on average are lower in B12, iron, iodine, and calcium, while men are typically lower in magnesium, zinc, and various B vitamins.

— His thoughts on red meat and fish consumption.

— The genetic basis for dementia and Alzheimer’s, particularly regarding the APOE genotypes.

— How brain health is tied closely to the extent we stimulate our brains, especially as we age.

— How retirement is a point in someone’s life where their cognitive abilities are most at risk.

— How social media and AI are affecting our brains.

The Stimulated Mind is now available in bookstores as well as Amazon and other booksellers. Be sure to check out part one of Tommy’s interview, episode 193.

IHMC open house unveils the robotics team’s new advanced humanoid Alex

At this year’s IHMC open house on April 10, the public will have its first opportunity to meet Alex, the institute’s new advanced humanoid robot.

“We are so excited to show off Alex,” said Senior Research Scientist Robert Griffin, who leads HMC’s robotics group. “Alex has been developed to step outside of the lab and perform in real-world environments. It’s a big step for us. The maneuverability, autonomy and search skills of Alex will allow it to serve as a human avatar for first responders in emergency situations.” 

Alex is built upon the cutting–edge research that IHMC did with Nadia, a humanoid that entertained last year’s open-house visitors by playing ping pong with members of the robotics staff. Although Alex features next-generation technology and capabilities, it lacks one very important thing: a face.

“At the open house, children are invited to put on their engineer–designer hats and imagine what Alex’s face would look like,” said Robotics Lab Coordinator Claudia Artzer. “The most creative ideas will be chosen, celebrated by the Robotics team, and brought to life as a 3D replica. We’re hoping that children will be able to inspire us come up with creative concepts.”

In addition to being able to watch demonstrations of Alex, visitors will have opportunities to interact with dozens of IHMC scientists and engineers to learn about their research into drones, virtual reality, human performance, exoskeletons, artificial intelligence and other technologies.

Visitors also will be able to learn about the new National Center for Collaborative Autonomy, an initiative focused on optimizing the abilities and potential of autonomous systems like unmanned aerial vehicles, self-driving cars and space probes. Recent events around the world have underscored that autonomous systems like drones are fundamentally changing the nature of military conflicts.

The April 10 open house will be held from 4 to 7 with the last tour beginning at 6:30 at the IHMC campus, 40 South Alcaniz.  The event is part of national robotics week, which was established by Congress in 2010 to bring together students, teachers and other interested parties who share a passion for robotics and technology.

STEM-Talk: Tommy Wood discusses his new book and the adaptability of the aging brain

Today Dr. Tommy Wood joins Drs. Ken Ford and Dawn Kernagis to talk about his book, “The Stimulated Mind: Future-Proof Your Brain from Dementia and Stay Sharp at Any Age.”

Tommy is an associate professor at the University of Washington where he runs a neuroscience lab. He also is a visiting research scientist at IHMC who has been a frequent STEM-Talk guest and occasional co-host.

In today’s part one of his two-part interview, we talk to Tommy about his mission to dispel the myth that the brain is doomed to decline with age. “The Stimulated Mind” offers science-backed strategies to enhance mental sharpness and prevent cognitive decline, including Alzheimer’s disease.

In part one of our interview, Tommy discusses:

• How neuroscientists study the brain.
• Dispels the conventional belief that the brain is fixed by the time we reach our twenties and incapable of change.
• Provides examples of the adaptability of the adult brain.
• Talks about Santiago Ramón y Cajal, who is considered the first neuroscientist.
• The importance of cardiovascular health in brain health.
• A history of Alzheimer’s disease.
• What we know about age-related dementia.

In the upcoming part two of Tommy’s interview, Tommy shares ways that people can stimulate neuroplasticity in the adult brain.

STEM-Talk is an award-winning podcast from the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition that hosts conversations with the leading minds in science and technology. Listen on your favorite platform or browse our library at https://www.ihmc.us/stemtalks/