Mriganka Sur facts for kids

Mriganka Sur was born in 1953 in Fatehgarh, India. He is a famous brain scientist from India. He works at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). There, he is the Newton Professor of Neuroscience. He also leads the Simons Center for the Social Brain.

Mr. Sur is also a visiting professor in India. He teaches at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. He helps lead brain research there too. He has also been a judge for the Infosys Prize in science.

About Mriganka Sur's Life

Mriganka Sur went to school in Allahabad, India. He earned his first degree in electrical engineering. This was from the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) in 1974.

He then moved to the United States. He got his Master's and PhD degrees from Vanderbilt University. This was in Nashville, Tennessee. After finishing his studies, he did more research at Stony Brook University.

In 1983, he became a professor at Yale University. Then, in 1986, he joined Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He became a full professor in 1993. Later, he led the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. Today, he is still a top professor at MIT.

What Mriganka Sur Studies

Mr. Sur is a leader in studying the brain. He creates new ways to look at how brain cells work. These cells are called neurons. He also studies how the brain changes and adapts. This is known as brain plasticity.

His lab uses experiments and computers. They study how the brain develops. They also look at how it changes when we learn. His team has found important rules. These rules explain how brain cells connect. They also show how these cells help us see, think, and act.

Rewiring the Brain

In some amazing experiments, Mr. Sur "rewired" the brain. He wanted to see how the world around us shapes the brain. Normally, the retina (in the eye) sends signals to the visual cortex. This is the part of the brain that processes sight.

But Mr. Sur made the retina send signals to the part of the brain that hears. This is called the auditory cortex. What happened next was incredible! The visual signals changed the hearing part of the brain. This allowed animals to "see" with their "hearing" brain.

Helping Brain Damage and Disorders

These discoveries are very important. They could help people recover from brain damage. They might also help create new ways to fix brain problems. For example, after a stroke or injury.

Mr. Sur's lab also studies genes. Genes are like instructions for building the brain. They look at how brain activity affects these genes. This work helps us understand childhood disorders. One example is autism. Thanks to this research, a new medicine for Rett syndrome is being tested.

Brain Imaging and AI

His lab also uses special imaging tools. They can see single brain cells working. They found that certain cells, called astrocytes, are very important. These cells help control blood flow in active brain areas. This discovery helps explain how brain scans like fMRI work.

Mr. Sur's team also found new ways to study brain activity. They can control specific neurons with light. This helped them learn how different types of neurons work. Their research helps us understand how we learn and make decisions. These discoveries are useful for treating brain disorders. They also help design new types of AI.

Awards and Honors

Mriganka Sur has received many important awards. He is a member of many famous science groups. These include the National Academy of Medicine USA and the Royal Society of London. He is also part of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

He has also received special prizes. These include the Krieg Cortical Discoverer Prize. He also got an honorary Doctor of Science degree from IIT Kanpur. He has been honored at MIT with several special chairs. These include the Hans-Lukas Teuber Scholar Award and the Newton Chair.