UNews - Chelsea Ekstrand

Unique research collaboration sees fine arts summer class support neuroscience project

trevor.kenney — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 17:33:57 +0000

Instead of preparing for the stage, students in drama instructor Dave Smith’s summer class are practicing for brain health research in an innovative research collaboration between the fine arts and the sciences at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

Smith’s course, Theatre for Scientific Purposes, is a hands-on class that has fine arts students writing, designing and executing structured scenes in support of Dr. Chelsea Ekstrand’s (neuroscience) research project.

Fine arts students run through a scene that will be viewed by study participants.

“What’s really cool about this class is we have students with all different focuses enrolled,” says Smith. “Some are designers/technicians, some are performers/directors but all of them are contributing to the project in every capacity. They come ready to work, and really show their dedication to the class, and more importantly, to the project.”

Ekstrand is studying how memories are formed and the processes used to retrieve memories in real-world environments. She received a $100,000 Future Leaders in Canadian Brain Research grant in partnership with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) to support her work.

“This collaboration is an exciting step into a new kind of research, one where science and storytelling come together, and where we study the brain not in isolation, but in the richness of real life,” says Ekstrand. “By working together, we’re making the science feel more grounded, more powerful, and more deeply connected to what it means to be human.”

The goal of Ekstrand’s work is to better understand the neural processes behind memory formation in both healthy older adults and individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a condition that frequently precedes dementia.

Study participants wear body cameras to capture scenes played by drama students in Smith’s course. Participants then recall the scenes while in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine to compare brain activity during real-life experiences with passive viewing of the same scenes on a screen.

“If we really want to understand how people think, remember and connect, we need to move beyond the lab and into the kinds of everyday experiences that actually shape our lives,” says Ekstrand. “Working with the artists in this class has been a powerful reminder that human experience is more than what we can quantify. They bring emotional insight, nuance and a sense of narrative that challenges me to think differently about how we study memory and connection. For the students, I think it’s a rare opportunity to step into the world of science while using their creativity to create scenes that are both emotionally rich and scientifically rigorous.”

For multidisciplinary student Danica Sommer, contributing to leading-edge research and expanding the ways theatre can be utilized is something in which she feels lucky to contribute.

“This course has put me in a unique professional context that is both challenging and rewarding. Working as a team, being flexible and delivering results under a time crunch are experiences both theatre professionals and scientific researchers are familiar with.”

Smith adds that theatre and drama programs tend to be more cross-disciplinary than commonly thought.

“The number of students who leave our drama program and get jobs in all kinds of positions not just pertaining to theatre is remarkable,” he says. “Having courses like this help to articulate the need for creative minds to mix with analytical minds.”

Neuroscience student Zeth Stewart is bridging the educational gaps between art and science and bringing depth and meaning to the scientific method.

“We can’t forget that the arts are a fundamental part of life. This course brought those personal, lived experiences into the conversation in a meaningful way, while still grounding the discussion in the scientific method,” Stewart says. “As a student with a passion for both understanding human behaviour and theatrically expressing it, this class was a wonderful blend of empirical analysis and the subjective experience.”

“Collaborations like this spark the kind of innovation that just wouldn’t happen if we stayed in our separate lanes,” concludes Ekstrand. “It pushes us all, students and faculty alike, to get a little uncomfortable, take risks and discover new ways of thinking and creating.”

Once Ekstrand’s research has concluded, she anticipates sharing her results in scientific journals, presenting at research conferences and developing community resources to share with the public.

This research collaboration is an example of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Strategic Plan in action under the strategic direction to Challenge Boundaries and Inspire Curiosity. In teaching and learning, ULethbridge takes a liberal education approach that fosters valuable interdisciplinary exchanges, connections and discoveries.

This project has been made possible by the Canada Brain Research Fund (CBRF), an innovative arrangement between the Government of Canada (through Health Canada) and Brain Canada Foundation, in collaboration with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

Brain Canada grant will help ULethbridge researcher study how memories are made

caroline.zentner — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 16:41:11 +0000

Dr. Chelsea Ekstrand, a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge assistant professor at the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, has been awarded a 2023 Future Leader in Canadian Brain Research grant. Worth $100,000, the grant is through Brain Canada in partnership with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Brain Health and Cognitive Impairment in Aging Research Initiative.

Announced today, the grant is one of 21 Brain Canada awards to early career researchers across the country.

“Empowering the next generation of scientists is critical to improving health outcomes for people living with brain conditions and their families. We are confident that supporting these bold ideas will advance research and accelerate progress in ways that will benefit all of us,” said Dr. Viviane Poupon, President and CEO of Brain Canada, in a news release. “With this funding, we are building a strong pipeline of neuroscience leaders and laying the groundwork for future research excellence.”

“I’m extremely grateful to receive this grant,” says Ekstrand. “It allows me and my team to conduct novel research into real-world memory formation. This is an urgent necessity as we look to develop treatments for dementia.”

Ekstrand and her team are studying how memories are formed. Memory is fundamental to human cognition, allowing people to recall past experiences that shape future actions. The team plans to have study participants navigate a building, interact with others and wear a camera. The events captured on camera will then be compared to participants’ recollections while their brains are being imaged.

“By comparing healthy participants and those with mild cognitive impairment, we will be able to identify early markers of memory dysfunction,” says Ekstrand. “This, in turn, has implications for diagnosis and intervention.”

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge celebrates Brain Awareness Week with three public events

caroline.zentner — Fri, 23 Feb 2024 15:55:23 +0000

Each year, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience celebrates Brain Awareness Week (March 11 – 17) by providing opportunities for the public to learn about advances in brain research from our neuroscientists.

Dr. Chelsea Ekstrand

The first of three events is a free community lecture by Dr. Chelsea Ekstrand. Her talk — “The Neuroscience of “Normal”: How do our brains shape who we are?” — will delve into the extraordinary ways our brains shape our perception of the world and make us who we are. She’ll discuss how external factors can change our brains, the ways our personality traits influence how we see the world and the impact of major life events in reshaping our realities.

Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 6 p.m.
Galt Museum Viewing Gallery

Dr. Robbin Gibb

The second event is a free public talk by Dr. Robbin Gibb titled “The Social Synapse: Using play and relationships to build executive function.” During the lifespan, one of the most important ways to promote healthy brain function is through supportive and positive relationships. In her talk, Gibb will highlight the success in the community using play-based programs that exercise working memory, cognitive flexibility and behavioural inhibition. These programs are offered through the Building Brains Together organization, funded by the City of Lethbridge and currently running in preschools, middle schools and seniors’ centres. Gibb and her team are also involved in providing cognitive testing for participants in the Chess for Life program for justice-involved youth. Their goal is to demonstrate that youth who learn to play chess with a one-on-one mentor during their 25-hour sentence show improvement in executive function skills.

Wednesday, March 13 at 5:30 p.m.
��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Science Commons, BMO Auditorium

The final event is an open house at the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience. Everyone is welcome to attend and explore what the centre has to offer.
Saturday, March 16 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Science Commons

UNews - Chelsea Ekstrand

Unique research collaboration sees fine arts summer class support neuroscience project

Related Topics

Brain Canada grant will help ULethbridge researcher study how memories are made

Related Topics

��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge celebrates Brain Awareness Week with three public events

Related Topics

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge celebrates Brain Awareness Week with three public events