Timothy C. Marzullo, Ph.D.
e-mail: tim
[at] backyardbrains [dot] com
Based in Southeastern Michigan, U.S. and Santiago, Chile
Objective:
To bring neuroscience out of the dark ages
Specific Skills and Knowledge:
Neural Engineering
Public Speaking
(English – native speaker; Spanish – operational command)
Education:
2008 Ph.D.,
Neuroscience Program, in Neural Engineering Lab of Daryl Kipke at the University of
Michigan, Ann Arbor – Accessibility and Manipulation of Brain Signals for
Neuroprosthetic Applications
2001 B.S.
in Biochemistry from the University of Texas at Austin
Publications:
Shannon KM,
Gage GJ. Jankovic A, Wilson WJ, Marzullo TC. Portable
conduction velocity experiments using earthworms for the college and high
school neuroscience teaching lab. Adv Physiol
Educ. 2014 March [IN PRESS]
Dagda RK,
Thalhauser RM, Dagda R, Marzullo TC,
Gage GJ. Using
Crickets to Introduce Neurophysiology to Early Undergraduate Students.
J Undergrad Neurosci Educ. 2013 Oct 15;12(1):A66-A74.
Marzullo TC and Gage GJ. The SpikerBox: A Low Cost,
Open-Source BioAmplifier for increasing Public Participation in Neuroscience
Inquiry. PLoS ONE 2012;7(3):e30837. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0030837
Yazdan-Shahmorad
A, Lehmkuhle MJ, Gage GJ, Marzullo TC,
Parikh H, Miriani RM, and Kipke DR. Estimation of electrode location in a rat motor
cortex by laminar analysis of electrophysiology and
intracortical electrical stimulation. J Neural Eng. 2011 8: 046018.
Ludwig KA,
Miriani RM, Langhals NB, Marzullo TC,
Kipke DR. Use of a Bayesian
maximum-likelihood classifier to generate training data for brain-machine
interfaces. J Neural Eng. 2011. June
8;8(4):046009.
Kozai
TD, Marzullo TC, Hooi F, Langhals
NB, Majewska AK, Brown EB, Kipke DR. Reduction of neurovascular
damage resulting from microelectrode insertion into the cerebral cortex using
in vivo two-photon mapping. J Neural Eng. 2010. Aug;7(4):046011.
Marzullo TC, Lehmkuhle MJ, Gage GJ, Kipke D. Development of Closed-Loop
Neural Interface Technology in a Rat Model: Combining Motor Cortex Operant
Conditioning With Visual Cortex Microstimulation. IEEE
Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering. 2010 April;
18(2): 117-126.
Abidian MR,
Ludwig KA, Marzullo TC, Martin DC,
Kipke DR. Interfacing conducting polymer
nanotubes with the central nervous system: chronic neural recording using poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) nanotubes. Advanced
Materials. 2009 July.
Parikh H, Marzullo TC, Kipke D. Lower layers in the motor
cortex are more effective targets for penetrating microelectrodes in cortical
prostheses. Journal of Neural Engineering.
2009 April; 6(2): 026004.
Gage G. Marzullo T. Parikh H. -Die
Cingulare Theorie der Vereinigung: Der Gyrus Cinguli ist Fur Alle Geistigen
Leistungen Zustandig.- in the book -Braintertainment 2.0-
2009
Marzullo TC, Parikh H. How many neurons must one man
have, before you call him a man? IEEE Potentials.
2008 Nov/Dec;27(6):26-33.
Marzullo TC, Miller CR, Kipke DR. Suitability
of the cingulate cortex for neural control. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering.
2006 Dec;14(4):401-9.
Marzullo T, Rantze E, Gage G. Stock market
behavior predicted by rat neurons. Annals of Improbable Research. 2006.
Jul/Aug: 22-25.
Ehlmann BL,
Chowdhury J, Marzullo TC et. al. Humans to Mars: a feasibility
and cost-benefit analysis. Acta Astronautica. 2005 May-Jun;56(9-12):851-8.
Stavisky RC,
Britt JM, Zuzek A, Pham T, Marzullo TC,
Bittner GD. Degeneration of mammalian PNS
and CNS axons is accelerated by incubation with protein synthesis inhibitors.
Neuroscience Research. 2003 Dec; 47(4): 445-9.
Marzullo TC, Britt JM, Stavisky RC, Bittner GD.
Cooling enhances in vitro
survival and fusion-repair of severed axons taken from the peripheral and
central nervous systems in rats. Neuroscience Letters, 2002 Jul 12;
Vol. 327(1): pgs 9-12.
Honors/Support:
2013-current Scientist,
National Institutes of Mental Health SBIR grant: -#2R44MH093334-03: Backyard
Brains: Bringing Neurophysiology into secondary schools-
2012-2013 Team
Leader, Start-Up Chile Program, Backyard Brains
2011-2013 Principal
Investigator, National Institutes of Mental Health SBIR grant: -1R43MH093334-01:
Backyard Brains: Bringing Neurophysiology into secondary schools-
2010 Society
for Neuroscience Next Generation Award
for -outstanding contributions to public outreach and science education-
2009-2010
Post
Doctoral Fellowship, Kauffman Foundation,
to start Backyard Brains, a
low-cost, high accessibility neuroscience education venture
2004-2006 NASA
Graduate Student Researchers Program Fellowship
2004 Marine
Biological Laboratory NeuroInformatics summer course, Woods Hole, MA
2003 Rackham
International Travel Grant
2002 NASA
Ames Astrobiology Academy Internship
2002 $5000
grant from Michigan Space Grant Consortium
2001 University
of Michigan Rackham Regents Fellowship
2001 $1000
Undergraduate Research Materials Grant, University of Texas
Employment:
2009-current Co-Founder, Backyard Brains, Inc, working on education,
prototyping, physiology, business operations, production, fund-raising, and bug
clean-up
2009-2011 Lecturer, University of Michigan
Biomedical Engineering Department, for Neuroscience Module of BME 419/519
– Quantified Physiology
2008-2009 Research
Engineer, NeuroNexus Technologies, Ann Arbor. Worked
on new research products, sales, and technical support. Highlight of work:
optogenetic prototype developed with customer acknowledged in Nature Publication
2002-2008 Ph.D.
Research in lab of Dr. Daryl Kipke, Neural Engineering Lab, U-Michigan
2003 Graduate
Student Instructor for Cell Biology Lab Course, U-Michigan
2002 Research
Assistant for Dr. Richard Boyle, BIOVis Center, NASA Ames Research Center
2000-2001 Research
assistant for George D. Bittner, Professor in Biological Sciences, Section of
Neurobiology, UT-Austin
Extra-Curricular and Community
Activities:
Current Periodically
(2-6x/month) giving interactive lessons on Neuroscience to area elementary
students, high school students, college students, and adults (everyone)
2010-2011 Sponsored and Managed 2
University of Michigan Undergraduate Teams for BME 450 –Semester Senior
Capstone Design: RoboRoach and Optogenetics
2004 Mentored
NASA Summer High School
Apprenticeship Research Program (SHARP) student for project on neural data
analysis; Student proceeded to win Intel International Science Fair on project
2003-2004 President,
UM Neuroscience Graduate Student Organization
2003 & 2004 First
prize, two years in a row, at Ann Arbor Hands On Museum Brainsrule science fair
for designing an Interactive Neuroanatomy
Exhibit for Elementary School Students. Exhibit now constantly wins
first prize with other presenters year after year.
Hobbies:
Restoring
my 1973 Chevrolet El Camino, my 1981 Toyota Tercel, and my custom moped
Popular Press:
2012 RoboRoach
Featured in print issue of Mental Floss Magazine
2011 Interviewed
on Nature Neuroscience -Neuropod- Podcast
2011 The
Guardian article on -Neurotechnology in the
Classroom-
2011 Dana
Foundation article on -DIY Neuroscience-
2011 RoboRoach
featured in New York Times
2011 SpikerBox
Featured in print issue of Wired Magazine
2011 Clarkston
High school workshop -RoboRoach Academy-
published in online -Curator Magazine-
2011 Work
featured in book -BioPunk: DIY Scientists Hack
the Software of Life-
2010 SpikerBox
is included in
December print issue of Wired Magazine in -100 Geek Gadgets- for Holiday Season
2009 Featured
in Boston Globe newspaper on -Open Science-
Movement
2009 Startup
-Backyard Brains- is highlighted on PBS television program -Lehrer NewsHour- on
feature: -In Ann Arbor, Michigan Finds
Its Life Preserver-
2008 The
$100 Spike Project is featured on Nature Magazine-s Neuroscience
Podcast
(Selected) Failures:
2011 Failed
Y-Combinator -ImagineK12- application
2010 Failed
Marine Biological Laboratory Grass Fellowship Application
2008 Unpublished
Manuscript -Spikes Can Phase-lock with the Field Potential Theta Rhythm in the
Motor Cortex of Rats- –part of Ph.D. dissertation work