Brain Awareness Week 2011


Saturday March 12th, 2011 : 9am - 6pm
Sunday March 13th, 2011: 9am - 6pm

Brains On the University Mall

Brain Awareness Week is an international initiative to advance public awareness about the progress and benefits of brain research.
This year we took advantage of a wonderful opportunity for neuroscience outreach that was offered by the fortuitous timing of the UA Book Festival, which was held on the UA Mall on March 12th and 13th. An estimated 100,000 visitor attended. This year, Bio5 has put together a Science Pavilion, and we had a spot in it for a "Brain Works" exhibit.
The booth had a variety of activities designed to be attractive to people from little to adult, including prism glasses and visual adaptation, a brain zoo including a human brain and a human spinal cord (cauda equina), a taste-vs-smell jelly bean game, some somatosensory tests, a hands-on test of your reflexes, a kid corner with coloring and make-your-own neuron activities and our signature eat-a-brain jello-station. The booth had some reading materials from the Dana Foundation and the SFN. We had more than 20 volunteers helping this year, and we estimate that more than 800 people stopped by our stations in the course of the two days!

Thanks to all the volunteers: Brian Berrellez, Iris Charcos, Aram and Marina Cholanian, Erika Eggers, Jon Englert, Cecile Faucher, Bagambhrini Gerace, Mark Higgins, Patty Jansma, Bethany Jones, Aimen Kasasbeh, Terra Kuhn, Christopher Laine, Adam Lester, Hong Lei, Nate McMullen, Mike Miller, Brittany Portman, Minryung Song, Becca van Sickler, Aaron Tesch, Marija Zaruba. Many thanks to the staff of Bio5 (Daphne Gilman, Sarah Mancini) and all their volunteers.

This year's event was sponsored by Bio5. With support from The Dana Foundation: Brain awareness week

Lynne Oland and Jean-Marc Fellous


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