CAKE Principles: A Conceptual Framework with Actionable Tools for Fostering Community Equity in Academic Events

01 February 2024 6 min read

We provide four guiding principles that are concise, actionable, and will help make organising an inclusive academic event a piece of CAKE 🎂:

  • Connectivity: Is everyone seen?
  • Adaptability: Is everyone themselves?
  • Kinship: Does everyone feel like they belong?
  • Empowerment: Can everyone (and the community) grow?
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From Learner to Leader: My experience of Computational Neuroscience Imbizo

27 January 2024 6 min read

Imbizo logo

2024 is my last edition of the Computational Neuroscience Imbizo, a gathering to share knowledge, create connections, and an adventure that has changed my life.

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Ten Expectations for Presenting to a Diverse Audience

16 January 2024 6 min read

I’ve given dozens of presentations to thousands of people. Sometimes it’s only to a handful of experts, other times to hundreds of eager learners. Many times the audience has a mixed background of skills, languages, and cultures. Here are some broad expectations I’ve laid out for myself to improve my presentations and the audience experience.

  1. Set expectations early and often
  2. Set up then show and tell
  3. Breadcrumbs guide the way
  4. Less is more
  5. Context is key(note)
  6. Highlight powerful points
  7. Hierarchy of information
  8. Interact
  9. Keep learning and adapting
  10. Accessibility
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Social dynamics

02 June 2022 6 min read

Our paper, published in “Scientific Reports,” addresses the phenomenon of echo chambers in social networks, where users often engage with like-minded peers, leading to polarization. We propose a method, the Random Dynamical Nudge (RDN), to bridge polarized communities and achieve a neutral consensus. The RDN exposes users to a random selection of opinions, avoiding the need for intensive surveillance of individual opinions. Our computational models show that RDN can effectively depolarize existing echo chambers and prevent their formation. This approach could be a practical tool for social media networks to manage online community segregation on complex social issues.

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My PhD thesis: Investigating chloride dynamics in physiological processing and epilepsy using computational methods

01 December 2021 120 min read

Christopher B. Currin

UCT logo

University of Cape Town

In fulfilment of the requirements for the degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Neuroscience

Supervised by Dr Joseph Raimondo

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How I Became a Professional Problem Solver

10 September 2021 6 min read

I have always been fascinated by how we think and learn. I find beauty in the irony that we know more about what is “out there” than what is in our heads. Becoming a professional problem-solver, i.e., a scientist and software engineer, was a natural progression from this wonder.

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I released all the code for my publication: Why exposing my code is better than hiding it

03 June 2021 6 min read

Results are processed, reviews are in, the paper is a go. Why on earth would I spend an extra 8+ hours to clean, comment, and commit my code to GitHub for something that’s technically “done”?

Because science deserves better than shoddy code, or worse, no transparency at all…

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VirtualBox raw disk with Ubuntu host and Windows guest on the same drive

10 February 2021 5 min read

Dual booting can be both useful and inconvenient.

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A Summer School in Africa Breaks Barriers in Neuroscience

27 May 2020 5 min read

How we facilitate the formation of a cohesive community that transcends race, gender and geographic boundaries in just three weeks.

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AI Expo Africa 2019

15 September 2019 5 min read