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Brain Awareness Week in NYC

This week is Brain Awareness Week 2015! A number of great events are taking place around the world to promote public education of the brain and to support research in neurological and psychiatric diseases.

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American


This week is Brain Awareness Week 2015! A number of great events are taking place around the world to promote public education of the brain and to support research in neurological and psychiatric diseases. Here in New York City there are dozens of events, and I've listed a few of the major university events below.

It's not just for families and kids (though there is lots of that too)! In addition to these community events geared for all ages, see the calendar at BraiNY for a listing of events all week that are geared towards specific groups, from school events to pub nights with chats by NYC's premier neuroscientists.


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Brain Awareness week was launched by The Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives as a global celebration, and it presents an opportunity to bring attention to brain science advances and advocate for science funding. Brain Awareness Week serves as a launching point for year-round Brain Awareness activities.

Here in the USA, Brain Awareness Week is led by the Dana Foundation and its main partner, the Society for Neuroscience (the largest academic society in the world). In NYC, the local branch of the Society for Neuroscience is BraiNY, who has been a terrific ringleader for promoting the various events at NYC neuroscience institutions. Check out BraiNY's calendar of events for a rundown of local events. Dana Foundation posts a more comprehensive listing of worldwide events.

 

 

Major NYC University Events:

Mount Sinai Brain Awareness Fair

Guggenheim Pavilion Thursday, March 19th 2:00-6:00pm

The Sinai Neuroscience Outreach Program (SNOP) will host its Brain Awareness Fair for elementary, middle, and high school students and their parents, on Thursday, March 19. Attendees will learn about the taste/smell connection, hold real animal brains, make their own brain hats, and much more. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai faculty will be on hand to answer questions and dispel myths about Autism, Alzheimer’s disease, drug abuse and addiction, and memory and cognition. The Brain Awareness Fair runs from 2:00 to 6:00 pm at the Mount Sinai Medical Center (1468 Madison Avenue, at 100th St.).

NYU Community Brain Fair

Langone Center Tuesday, March 17, 2015 --2:00-5:00PM

The NYU Neuroscience Institute hosts its community brain fair for all ages featuring multiple interactive exhibits on the 5 senses, neurons, the brain and aging, disease models, and brain myths with an activities and a crafts station for children. Tables with information from the clinical centers at NYU Langone including the Center on Brain Aging, The Child Study Center, and The Rusk Institute on Rehabilitation Medicine, The Concussion Center, the Department of Neuroradiology, and the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center will also have information on the clinical work at NYULMC. Come meet our resident neuroscientists and ask us what makes our field so stimulating! The brain fair will be presented by the Neuroscience Outreach Group at NYU (NOGN).

Columbia Brain Expo

Columbia University Medical Center Wednesday, March 18, 2015, 2:00-5:00pm

Families, students, and teachers are invited to test, trick, and learn about their brain at the third annual Community Brain Expo. The Brain Expo, by Columbia University’s Zuckerman Institute, features demonstrations by scientists and activities for all ages.

 

 

Stephen L. Macknik is a professor of opthalmology, neurology, and physiology and pharmacology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Along with Susana Martinez-Conde and Sandra Blakeslee, he is author of the Prisma Prize-winning Sleights of Mind. Their forthcoming book, Champions of Illusion, will be published by Scientific American/Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

More by Stephen L. Macknik