Brain Expo

Marshall University hosted the second annual Brain Expo on Friday, March 12. The event was part of the Brain Awareness Week, an international effort to raise awareness about the brain and neuroscience. Children from six local elementary schools participated in interactive stations with information and activities designed to teach about the brain, the nervous system, and neuroscience. More than 100 enthusiastic faculty and student volunteers engaged the children in the activities, and preliminary survey results indicate that the students had a tremendous amount of fun as they learned about a wide variety of brain related topics. Brain Expo Director Dr. Nadja Spitzer and co-Director, Dr. Brian Antonsen, both from the Department of Biological Sciences, were very pleased with the event. The 2010 Brain Expo experienced substantial growth over last year, with more stations and more than double the number of attendees.

Drs. Spitzer and Antonsen participate in public outreach efforts to spark an interest in science early in a child's education and raise awareness of science as a career option. In 2009, a miniature version of the Brain Expo made an appearance at the Marshall University Recreational Center's summer camp program. This year, they are piloting school visits as part of Marshall’s Brain Awareness program. For the first visit faculty and student volunteers will present a small number of stations to about 400 children at Connor Street Elementary School in Hurricane, WV.

For more information, contact:

Dr. Nadja Spitzer (spitzern@marshall.edu) or
Dr. Brian Antonsen (antonsenb@marshall.edu),

and check out these websites:
http://www.marshall.edu/baw;
http://www.dana.org/brainweek/; and
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/experi.html.

MU-ADVANCE Home Page