Why does your child calm down the moment they get into water? Why does a certain song bring back a memory you had not thought of in forty years? Why can a familiar smell change your mood before you have even noticed it?

These are neuroscience questions, and Naisha Mullick, a student of neuroscience, is exploring them through her independent project — Brains & Belonging. She believes that these questions belong to the people who live them — the parents, the grandchildren, the teachers, the caregivers — and that one has to go beyond the research labs to understand them fully.

Through this independent writing project, Naisha's objective is to connect her experiences — in a hospital pool, at a laboratory bench, in an inclusive camp program, or during activity sessions with the elderly — with the science behind them in simple language for all to understand.

Each essay draws on a specific moment she has witnessed or measured, and connects it to what the brain is actually doing to create that moment. Every piece is written with one kind of reader in mind: someone who wants to understand a child, a parent, or themselves a little better — and who is curious enough to look under the surface of an everyday moment