Dr Drew Min
Su Cylinder
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
van Swinderen lab
Queensland Brain Institute
"Whether it’s composing a piece of music or meticulously planning an experiment, creativity helps us push the boundaries of human knowledge and expression to see the world in a new way."
"In my life as a neuroscientist and violinist, I find myself trying to think outside the box or bring different ideas together in novel ways. Even though they’re very different pursuits, creative thinking is essential to both art and science. Whether it’s composing a piece of music or meticulously planning an experiment, creativity helps us push the boundaries of human knowledge and expression to see the world in a new way."
I assigned each active neuron a different note on my violin creating a soundscape that reflects the patterns of activity in the worm’s nervous system.
Listen to the chord changes as different neuron ensembles become active. The major chords correspond to neuron ensembles that cause the worm to crawl forward while the minor chords correspond to backwards crawling
Drew's research
Drew Cylinder is a postdoctoral research fellowat the Queensland Brain Institute where he studies mechanisms of general anaesthetics. This research has the potential to improve patient recovery post-surgery and reduce anaesthesia-related complications. In addition to research, Drew is extensively involved in science outreach and in plays the violin in various groups in the Brisbane area.
"I study how general anaesthetics affect the communication between brain cells. Unfortunately, studying this in a human brain would be way too complicated. Instead, I use a microscopic worm called C.elegans. This tiny worm is only 1 mm long, but it has neurons just like you and I. These worms have also been genetically engineered so that their neurons light up when active. This allows me to see how neuronal activity changes under general anaesthesia."
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This exhibition is proudly supported by QAGOMA and Creative Hearts Co.
