Today we’d like to introduce you to Chinmayi Balusu.
Chinmayi, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I stumbled across my interest in the brain in late middle school. I was playing with a brain model at a science fair event when I realized that the brain was a lot more complex than the squishy lump of tissue I thought it was at a younger age. Fast forward to high school, I began exploring neuroscience (the scientific study of the brain and nervous system) through hands-on opportunities, competitions, and research. It was through this exposure that I met a wide range of peers and professionals in the field and understand the true range of neuroscience’s myriad of fields. These experiences were what drove me to found Simply Neuroscience in May of 2019 at the age of 16 years. Simply Neuroscience is now an international, student-led, fiscally-sponsored non-profit organization dedicated to fostering students’ interdisciplinary interests in the brain through neuroscience and psychology education, outreach, and awareness.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There’s definitely been a few bumps along the journey! I had no exposure to entrepreneurship as I was starting out and it was very much a long path of constantly learning (and continues to be!). One obstacle I faced was my age–many people disregarded my work, thinking that a 16-year-old that was just out of high school could not possibly work in neuroscience outreach since it was so complex! Believing in my passion and ambition and collaborating with many peers my age to build a collective has truly been a way to fight that perception and continue to make a change in our community. I’m very proud to say that in less than 17 months, we’ve impacted around 12,000 people worldwide.
Please tell us about Simply Neuroscience.
Simply Neuroscience is known for bridging the early neuroscience gap. Three of the strongest issues that prevent students from getting involved in neuroscience early are (1) perception of the field as being very advanced, which can be intimidating, (2) emphasis on the heavy STEM background of neuroscience rather than also acknowledging its multidisciplinary lens with STEM and the humanities, and (3) lack of easily understandable and accessible resources on a local level. My team at Simply Neuroscience is working to address these issues through our 21 various initiatives, including the Humans of Neuroscience series, “The Synapse” Podcast, Brain Resource Creation, and our annual four-day virtual conference. Our vision is to contribute towards a world in which every student who has a curiosity for the brain is able to explore neuroscience through free resources, events, and opportunities, regardless of their age, location, gender, or socioeconomic background.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I would constantly pester my mom with questions when I was in elementary school. Why do I have to sleep for 9 hours? Since walnuts look like a brain, are they healthy for my brain? Why can’t I memorize this paragraph? And my mother would very patiently and kindly tell me that a lot of these questions could be answered by understanding the power of the human brain and how the body works. I would be frustrated at the time that I didn’t get a concrete answer–and oftentimes would be frustrated by why my own brain wouldn’t give me the answers! Ironically, I’ve now come to absolutely love neuroscience 🙂
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.simplyneuroscience.org/
- Email: chinmayi@simplyneuroscience.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/simplyneuroscience/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/simplyneuroscience/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/simplyneurosci
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/simply-neuroscience
Image Credit:
Sacramento Brain Bee, Simply Neuroscience
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