This workshop will support participants in developing inquiry-based educational activities that integrate Allen Institute’s open science into their undergraduate neuroscience courses. We will focus on the integration of the emerging neuroscience from atlasing the entire brain using single-cell transcriptomics, as defined by the NIH’s BICAN consortium. This is critical knowledge that inspires scientists and researchers at the Allen Institute.

Participants will learn about techniques like scRNAseq and spatial transcriptomics, along with the corresponding public datasets from the Allen Institute’s Brain Science and Brain Health accelerators. Then participants will work together in groups and use a structured backward design process to design activities that meet their shared learning objectives. In addition to the activity itself, during their community of practice, participants will work together to design both formative and summative assessments for students, an assessment plan for measuring the success of their learning experience, and plans for sharing the activity and outcomes.

datasets and topics featured/

• Single-cell RNA transcriptomic datasets
  • Whole mouse brain
  • Whole human brain
  • Alzheimer’s Disease - human
  • Developing mouse brain
  • Aging mouse brain
• Spatial transcriptomics
  • Whole mouse brain
  • Basal ganglia in human and macaque
• BICAN Consortium’s Paper Package

format and funding/

Participants will attend a 4-day in-person workshop (June 14-17, 2027) at the Allen Institute in Seattle, WA (flight and hotel will be covered*, along with breakfast and lunch during the workshop and dinner the first night of the workshop) and a year-long facilitator-supported community of practice during the 2027-28 academic year (AY). The community of practice will consist of monthly small group meetings from September 2027 to May 2028.

The workshop is intended for undergraduate neuroscience educators who plan to implement the designed activities during the 2027-28 AY.

*Flight and hotel cannot exceed $2000.

This workshop is a fully funded program restricted entirely to individuals who require financial travel assistance to attend. We are unable to accept self-funded applicants, institutional sponsorships, or corporate-backed attendees. Travel coverage is limited strictly to domestic US transit; we cannot accommodate international flights or visa sponsorship.

As this is NIH-funded travel, there are strict allowable and non-allowable expenses. Accepted attendees will receive full guidelines and restrictions. If you have any questions that would affect your decision to apply, please feel free to reach out to education@alleninstitute.org.