ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function

The Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function (CIBF) is a nation-wide brain research centre (http://www.cibf.edu.au/). Our scientists look at how the brain works, and how it interacts with the world around us. We recently ran a neuroscience drawing competition during Brain Awareness Week, connecting with primary school students, schools and parents with the aim of opening up a dialogue about the brain and brain research. We received over 470 entries from around Australia, with the Centre’s chief investigators voting on the final three winners. The competition was advertised online, via twitter and facebook, emailed directly to schools and shared amongst the scientists’ own networks. The entries gave us a very interesting view of how children perceive the brain as well as numerous opportunities to continue our dialogue including having our researchers attend the winning schools to award prizes and speak about their work as neuroscientists. We are also considering ways in which to collect and display the images, whether as an exhibition or a photobook, as well as possible collaborations with museums and galleries with child-focused exhibitions.

We will be reviewing our terms and entry conditions for the next competition as we had some issues with obtaining parental consent for entries from some remote/indigenous communities where literacy and access is an issue. We want to make sure the competition is as inclusive of all Australian communities as possible.