Could a Retinal Prosthesis Restore Sight for People with Age-Related Macular Degeneration?
Boston University–developed technology could one day bring hope to millions with the incurable disease that’s one of nation’s leading causes of blindness
Many people have memories they’d like to forget. This professor is working to do that — kind of
Ramirez said there are two main goals of his lab: to try to understand the biology of how we learn and how we remember; and to try to artificially activate or inactivate memories to see what that tells us about how the brain works, in an effort to restore health back to the brain. Ramirez […]
NPC Podcast #10 | “When Conference Calls!”
🎙 All About Conferences! In this episode, we talk about our experiences with conferences, what they are, how to get there, and why it might be a good idea to attend one!
Building Connections: Travis Rotterman Uses the Spinal Cord as a Bridge into the Human World
Assistant Professor Travis Rotterman studies CNS function and malfunction in rodents to understand human systems. By Danny Giancioppo, Photo by Jackie Ricciardi, Figures provided by the Rotterman Group Growing up working on a farm, the lab might seem a lifetime away. The world may instead be centered around strenuous physical effort, community, and––of course––small-town sports. […]
Brian DePasquale and Mike Economo Named 2026 Sloan Research Fellows
Prestigious award recognizes the most promising early-career researchers in their fields
Steve Ramirez Featured on Actor Alan Alda’s “Clear + Vivid” Podcast
Experiments with mice have shown it’s possible to tinker with and even erase a memory. The goal for neuroscience now is to apply the science to help people struggling with PTSD and other mentally crippling memories.
Neurophotonics Center Community Featured Across SPIE’s Photonics West 2026 Conference
Last week, SPIE held it’s annual “Photonics West” conference, bringing together researchers and experts across the varying fields of optics and photonics research. With over a hundred conferences, plenary events, and presentations, several Boston University Photonics and Neurophotonics Center faculty––and graduate students––were not only in attendance, but led several key talks.
Building Mini-Brains, Advancing Big Ideas: How Kate Herrema Uses Organoids to Model Neurodevelopment
by Jack Osmond Whether in her home state of Michigan, during her high school years in Virginia, or in the city of Boston, Kate Herrema has always had an aptitude for science and math. But it wasn’t until she took a psychology class in high school that she discovered her interest in neuroscience. “I remember […]
ENGineer Magazine Fall 2025 is Live!
Memories Change. But Can We Change Them On Purpose?
Neuroscientist Steve Ramirez joins Host Ira Flatow to explain how memory manipulation could revolutionize the way we treat brain disorders. They also discuss Ramirez’s book, How to Change a Memory: One Neuroscientist’s Quest to Alter the Past, and how the sudden death of his friend and scientific collaborator made him rethink the role of memory.