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| A responsibly made decision. You know when you wake up and realize you slightly overdid it the night before and decide you will not do it again? And then you stick to that plan for maybe … let’s say a few days (best case scenario), before finding yourself in the exact same situation as before, but thinking it’s better for some reason? After stepping off Martinos Brainmap Seminar Series organizing committee (because I had RESPONSIBLY decided I had way too many things going on) Gary Boas (culprit!) asked me whether I wanted to help create a new Martinos Blog. Guess what I answered… | More of a vision than a reality at this point. All jokes aside, InsideOut is a new blog focused on providing light and fun content to break up our workdays. Ideally, it will include short posts that can be read over a cup of coffee or while you’re waiting for an analysis to finish or that awkward time between two meetings when you really don’t have enough time to get started on something else. It was developed in the spirit of turning yourself “inside out,” as in sharing what makes you “you” outside of the work you do. While we haven’t interviewed anyone yet 😉, we have a great list of folks we plan to reach out to over the next few months. As long as at least a few of them agree to talk with us, you will see more “10 minutes with” posts, in which those brave souls will talk about themselves outside of the work they do. NO SCIENCE- I know! Is there anything else we can talk about? I guess we’ll find out! "Happened Today” posts will highlight a milestone advancement in science/medicine that occurred on a particular day of the month. We also hope to post art created by folks at the Martinos Center. It could be a song, a poem, a painting—really any form of artistic expression that we can post online. If you want to contribute, feel free to send us a note through the contact submission form on the website. Or, shoot us a message via email/Teams. |
| I know, there are already so many things to follow…why another one? Well, we felt like we have many opportunities to share our science inside the Martinos Center. However, not many to share our non-science. While for most of us Inside-Martinos activities represent most of our daily life, it is a very good habit to remember that what we do Outside of our research life is as important and drives us as much as our science does. Surprisingly (or not!) what we do Outside of our work-life often helps improve and advance what we do Inside of our work-life. InsideOut wants to bring Out what is Inside of your Martinos colleagues that you still don’t know. We see InsideOut as a place to share art, to learn something you did not know before, to find inspiration, or simply to take a 10-minute break. | YES — although I’m certainly biased 😉 InsideOut is unique in its effort to have us take a brief reprieve from our work to appreciate art, to read something that doesn’t have any formulas or citations, to feel inspired, to laugh or at the very least smile, and more. Beyond that, it allows us to learn about the people we work alongside from the inside out. For example, maybe I'll find out that someone else plays the viola and wants to practice with me, or even better, maybe I'll meet one person who plays the violin, another who plays the cello, and one more who plays the bass, and we’ll form a quartet. Who knows? The sky’s the limit. I guess that those are some of the benefits I’m hoping will happen organically from us putting out this blog. |
| Very simple. InsideOut is committed to stress-free entertainment. Check out the website for our new posts, keep an eye on the Martinos social media, and stay curious! Different posts will come out every month. We will have more “10 Minutes With” interview posts coming out soon, alongside beautiful art from some very talented Martinos artists that we have already recruited, and much, much more! Importantly, do not forget that InsideOut is here for the Martinos community. If you think there is a better way of doing InsideOut, if you want to share your Outsideness with the Martinos community, or if you have any idea or suggestion, please do let us know! | In terms of logistics, keep an eye on your Martinos email. Follow the Martinos Center, me, and Chiara on Twitter. Every time we release blog content, we’ll make sure to highlight that there is something new for you to check out via those channels. The posts should come a few times months in various formats. In terms of how you actually practice “InsideOut,” I'm hoping we’ll sort that out together as this blog develops. Stay tuned to find out with me! |
| Because I very much enjoy engaging in any aspect of science (and non-science) communication. Because I like writing. Because I recognize the importance and responsibility of making art, any form of art, an important part of our lives. Because I am genuinely interested in learning how Martinos folks combine art and science and where they draw inspiration from. Because I am sure I will learn an awful lot from it. Because I appreciate the close and intimate relationship between art and science (I am a tractography person after all 😂…). | Do you want to know the truth? Because Gary Boas pitched the idea to Chiara, and then, Chiara asked if I wanted to help out. But, seriously, I’m doing this because 1) I’m an extrovert and enjoy meeting new people, 2) I like science, art, and writing, so an opportunity that combines all three is right up my alley, and 3) I’m hoping to learn from some of the most brilliant folks on this planet about how they spend their time when they’re not working, where they draw inspiration from, and how they find the “balance” in it all. |
