Find Resources to Help With Your Outreach on BrainFacts.org
You can feel the excitement of the young student above as he realizes his brain’s ability to quickly learn a challenging new task. He experiences firsthand the amazing way that, on only his second attempt, his brain dramatically improves how rapidly and accurately he can trace a picture while looking in a mirror.
Activities like this one can capture the attention of young students while also demonstrating some of the most basic neuroscience fundamentals in a simple way. As the new school year approaches, neuroscientists and educators can visit BrainFacts.org to find more than 200 scientifically vetted activities, lesson plans, and other resources to help them teach students and the public about the wonderful world between their ears.
The Society for Neuroscience uses several of these activities when conducting outreach at various conferences throughout the year. From the USA Science and Engineering Festival to AAAS’ Family Science Days, these events allow SfN to reach educators and encourage them to bring neuroscience into their classrooms.
For example, during the National Science Teachers Association National Conference, SfN hosts a workshop that helps teachers incorporate neuroscience into their lesson plans. SfN records these workshops and posts them on BrainFacts.org so other teachers can benefit from the lessons and hands-on activities. In this year’s workshop, The Truth Behind Brain Based Learning, Janet Zadina, an assistant professor of neurology at Tulane University, focused on debunking common neuroscience myths.
Local SfN members volunteer at SfN’s booth during these conferences, where they lead activities, answer questions, and promote neuroscience outreach. Members interested in volunteering in their community can sign up for SfN’s Find A Neuroscientist program, which connects educators to local neuroscientists interested in outreach activities.
Many such outreach activities take place around Brain Awareness Week (BAW), a global celebration of the brain, launched by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, that traditionally takes place during the third week of March. Neuroscientists all over the world host BAW events for the public. This year, BrainFacts.org worked with a team of neuroscientists from Michigan State University to create a BAW webinar for anyone unable to attend a live event. The webinar focused on human and animal brain anatomy and featured three hands-on activities.
Get involved in neuroscience outreach year-round: Contact baw@sfn.org for more information on outreach opportunities and resources.
