My name is Martina Shannon and I’m a summer research intern in the institute’s Circadian Lab with Dr. Nicole Bowles. On August 6th, my lab team members and I attended National Night Out at Woodlawn Park. For those that aren’t familiar with National Night Out, it’s an annual event that takes place during the second week each August around the country, with the goal to enhance the relationship between neighbors and law enforcement while bringing back a true sense of community.
Our National Night Out event at Woodlawn Park was a great venue for us to table at to get the word out on current research projects we have going on in our lab. There was music, food and also dancing. Latroy Robinson, a research assistant, performed an interactive dance exercise while encouraging people on the lawn at the park to get up, get their bodies moving and learn about blood pressure. It really encouraged all of us to get out there and have a good time and it seemed as if many people were engaging in and enjoying his performance. When he wasn’t dancing he would grab the microphone and tell the audience different blood pressure facts, and at the end he encouraged them to come fill out our survey we had at our table. Meera, also a research assistant, and I walked around and handed out fliers for the research project titled “Sleep and Circadian Mechanisms Contributing to Disparity in Prevalence of Hypertension between Black and White Americans.” People seemed to be very interested in the project and asked us multiple questions about the study. Overall, I had a great time and I’m glad the Woodlawn Neighborhood Association let us come and table at their event. It made for a very fun, informational night for all.
Blog post submitted by: Martina Shannon, Western Oregon University, Circadian Lab Summer Intern
