Introduction

This week, we spoke with Janelle Letzen, the sushi scientist! Janelle is a PhD and postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University conducting research on brain function associated with chronic pain. She is a self-taught food artist who started Sushi Science at the beginning of this year in the hopes of making complex neuroscience topics more approachable for students and informal learners.

You might be wondering, what is sushi science? Well, you will have to take a look for your self! Before checking out the video below, make sure to pay a visit to Janelle’s website and/or instagram to witness some of the amazing creations she has made (and the amazing science she explains!). And, to answer a question people most frequently ask: yes, she eats and/or shares all of her creations! Sample her work at thesushiscientist.com or on Instagram (@the_sushi_scientist).

As an added bonus to this week’s episode, Robert and Janelle created a tech sushi showcases (tech stuff made of sushi!) to present and eat during the broadcast!

Janelle welcomed questions from the community on the following topics:

Brain function in chronic pain; chronic pain treatment; mood, motivation, and chronic pain
What the scientific process is like and things people might want to consider in reading popular science articles
Her doctoral clinical training (cognitive-behavioral therapy; acceptance and commitment therapy; mindfulness-based stress reduction; mental health)
Why she started Sushi Science and how she makes her creations
Her sushi preferences and select techniques (… Not sushi master chef, but we are sure she will out create Robert :P)
Her life outside of science/sushi