[People] 2021 Tall Poppy Science Awards

Alex recieves 2021 Young Tall Poppy Science Awards!

Congratulations!!

 

Alex Tang, our seasonal program mentor, currently at the University of Western Australia (UWA), was given the 2021 WA Young Tall Poppy Science Awards for his research in neuroscience.

 

The Tall Poppy campaign was created in 1998 by the Australian Institute of Policy and Science (AIPS) to recognise and celebrate Australian intellectual and scientific excellence and to encourage younger Australians to follow in the footsteps of  outstanding achievers.

The Tall Poppy Campaign recognises the achievements of Australian scientists through the prestigious annual Young Tall Poppy Science Awards. The Campaign’s Tall Poppies engages the winners of Young Tall Poppy Science Awards (‘Tall Poppies’) in activities to promote interest in science among school students and teachers, as well as an understanding and appreciation of science in the broader community.

Alex and his team @ the award ceremony.

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An essential property of the brain is its capacity to change its structure and function, commonly known as neural plasticity. Unfortunately, neural plasticity is altered in several age-related neurological conditions and after brain injury.

Alex’s research has investigated how novel interventions such as non-invasive brain stimulation can be used to promote neural plasticity as way of promoting healthy brain ageing or as a treatment for stroke. He is also researching how non-invasive brain stimulation, in the form of pulsed magnetic fields, can promote neural plasticity as a potential treatment for age-related neurological conditions such as dementia.

 

“He has been active in promoting science literacy and STEM careers to school aged children. This has been through presentations to local high schools and as an international tutor with the Manai Institute of Science and Technology (Japan), an organisation that promotes STEM to high school students across 15 countries.”

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Alex completed his PhD in 2017 at the University of Western Australia (UWA). Currently, he has a combined lecturing and research position with UWA and the Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Sciences.