Paula Levin
I'm working on a project in Pittsburgh to create Literary Arts Boom, a unique and quirky "third place" where youth can practice and improve their writing and storytelling skills with the help of community mentors, including journalists, educators, broadcasters, authors, poets, and filmmakers. Eventually, there will be an associated storefront with a mad scientist theme that inspires locals and passersby to explore, experiment, and invent.
I just earned a Master's in public policy and management. As an undergraduate I studied foreign language and linguistics. I'm amazed and baffled by how the mind works and how it interacts with the heart, the gastrointestinal tract, and the physical world! I've become very interested in neuroscience and the insights it can shed on emotions, learning, and behavior. I enjoy podcasts like On Being, Big Ideas, Brain Science Podcast, This American Life, and TED Talks. I'm curious about how we are and past generations were surprised and changed by scientific discoveries and technological advances. And I wonder: how can we use these things for good?