Shivek Narang: Our Teen Brains
Shivek Narang ’21 is a senior from Fremont, California, interested in learning about neuroscience and the brain. Currently, he conducts research in neuroscience and leads Our Teen Brains, an organization aimed at raising awareness of the teenage brain to teenage and parent communities.
Since he was in fourth or fifth grade, Shivek has been interested in biology. In middle school, he went on to do dissections, which he particularly enjoyed, and joined his school’s neuroscience club at the recommendation of his research mentor at the time. He recounts his experience doing a brain dissection in the first meeting: “That’s really when I fell in love with the brain and neuroscience because I was holding a tiny sheep brain in my hand for the first time and it was a […] surreal feeling […] to do this brain dissection and to think this tiny organ was responsible for it all.”
Since becoming involved with neuroscience in middle school, Shivek began reading more about neuroscience and joined organizations to meet others in the field. In a debate tournament in seventh grade on the topic of whether adolescents should have the right to medical autonomy, he learned more about the adolescent brain in particular, compounded with his previous knowledge from readings in the neuroscience field. As he researched the adolescent brain further, Shivek started sharing his findings with his peers and their families, starting what would become Our Teen Brains.
Shivek leading a brain dissection for middle school students as a leader for an event hosted by the Bay Area Youth Society for Neuroscience
Shivek’s website for his nonprofit organization, Our Teen Brains
Now, Our Teen Brains focuses on “talking about the social aspect of communal neuroscience, with actual neuroanatomy to spread awareness of what happens during adolescence, and the best practices to mitigate these changes.” Through his organization, Shivek gives presentations to the global community—including a keynote address to an audience of over 2000 people—and works with students individually to answer their questions about the teenage brain.
As shown through his work in neuroscience education and outreach, Shivek enjoys teaching others about a variety of topics in neuroscience, ranging from the adolescent brain through Our Teen Brains to the developing brain, diseases, and disorders. During the pandemic, Shivek has been working on a podcast discussing the brain, writing blog posts for his organization, and attending mental health conferences. Currently, he is also working with psychologists and specialists in mental health to devise a curriculum on the development of the teenage brain to share with schools.
Shivek’s blogs on critical parts of development and adolescence that he shares with the global community to reduce stigmas around mental health
Beyond his work with Our Teen Brains and the greater neuroscience community, Shivek has spent much of his time in high school working on personal research in neuroscience, primarily through labs at Stanford. Most recently, he has worked on developing the MR-guided focused ultrasound, a new tool for “open[ing] the blood-brain barrier temporarily to deliver drugs for treatment of the brain for tumors, strokes, epilepsy.” “What happens is the blood-brain barrier prevents things from entering the brain, so you can’t really provide these drugs as treatment. So to open it temporarily to allow these drugs to go through has been the focus of our research,” Shivek explains.
On coming to OHS, Shivek says that he entered OHS as a part-time student in his freshman year, drawn to the school by the challenging classes and the incredible learning environment. Now a full-time senior, Shivek has greatly appreciated “how welcoming the students were and how the teachers were as well,” as well as the “fun discussion environment” and the flexibility that OHS has afforded him for pursuing his own research during the school year.
At OHS, Shivek stays involved with the OHS community through leading the Neuroscience Club, where he seeks to “help those who are interested in neuroscience to build up their passions as well,” and the Leadership & Activism Club, where he built a fundraiser for students to combat food security in the global community. Outside of OHS, Shivek is an avid sports fan who enjoys watching basketball and football, as well as playing cricket and basketball in his backyard. He also enjoys playing four-player chess—a deviation of chess he plays with his family—and reading autobiographies and adventure books.
After he graduates from OHS, Shivek plans to pursue neuroscience in college and hopes to become a neurosurgeon in the future. In the meantime, as he furthers his interest in learning more about the brain and the human body, he hopes to stay in touch with the OHS community and continue giving back to his community.
5 Questions with Shivek Narang
Pixel Journal: What’s your favorite OHS class?
Shivek Narang: Neuroscience, Psychology, and Philosophy
PJ: If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with the extra time?
SN: Probably read mystery novels or play some basketball with my friends and brother.
PJ: What are you interested in that most people haven’t heard of?
SN: One thing I wish more people were more familiar and educated on was the topic of mental health, especially as it relates to adolescents and the developing brain. A topic often considered taboo, education would help combat the stigmas around it. Understanding the effect that peer pressure and social interactions have on one’s development are critical, but often overlooked, in the study of growth and identity.
PJ: What’s something you’ve been meaning to try but just haven’t gotten around to?
SN: Do some cool tricks on a skateboard and spend time on some of the tougher ramps.
PJ: What’s one piece of advice for your fellow OHSers?
SN: Make sure to manage your time! You can get anything done and balance all your activities if you manage your time well, but if you don’t spend some time on the game plan, it will be tough to get nearly anything done.