Event(s) Summary
Number of Events Organized During Brain Awareness Week:
5
Year:
2015
Type of Events Held:
- Lab Tour
- Press Briefing
- Symposium
- Other: Neuroquiz & Hands-on activities at a Shopping Center
Target Audiences:
- General Public
- High School students(9-12)
- Middle school students(6-8)
- Patients & Caregivers
- Professionals
- Other: Disabled students
- Other: and elderly people
Approximate Number of People Reached:
1000 (where 755 were students)
Details of Major Brain Awareness Week Events/Activities:
CNC’s 2015 BAW activities: a) “Brain Buskers” weekend (for families) – Hands-on activities at the biggest shopping center of the Portugal center region: painting brain models; microscopic observations; construction of a neuron model, photos at a “scientific photoboot”; and electrophoresis; Number of persons reached: around 250. b) “Science for all” (for disabled students and elderly people) – Lectures at the Portuguese Association of Parents and Friends of the Disabled Citizen, and in two “Senior Universities”; Numberr of persons reached: 40 c) “Neuroquiz” (for quiz players & occasional publics) – We organized a public quiz that challenge the participants to explore brain-related issues through appealing themes like art and pop culture. Numberr of persons reached: 30 d)“Neuroscientists go to Schools”; (for elementary, middle and high school students) 20 neuroscientists visited 8 schools and 2 science centers and gave lectures on brain related subjects. Nr of persons reached: 690 e) “Open Laboratories” (for students and elderly people): CNC’s research groups organized visits to their laboratories. Nr of persons reached: 70 The proposed activities allowed – through science literacy, public understanding of science and public engagement with science communication paradigms, the social appropriation of neuroscientific knowledge, taking into account the specificities of different audiences.
Event Planning & Publicity
Publicity Methods Used:
- Emails
- Posters/Flyers
- Press Release/Media Advisory
- Website
- Social Media
Which of These Publicity Methods Was The Most Successful?
Resources
Of the Dana Foundation publications/resources distributed at your event(s), if any, please indicate the three most popular. Please choose up to three. If "other," please indicate below:
- It’s Mindboggling!
- More Mindbogglers!
What downloadable materials from the Foundation did you use for your events?
- BAW Bookmark
- Mindboggling Coloring Sheets
What other downloadable materials would you like the Foundation to provide?
- Fact Sheets
- Lesson Plans
- Activities/Experiments
- New Puzzles/Games
- New Coloring Sheets
Which BAW graphic materials did you use in publicizing your events?
- BAW Logos
- BAW Bookmarks
Feedback & Keys to Success
How do you feel BAW participation benefited your organization and the local community?
The CNC participation in the 2015 BAW allowed the introduction of children in the world of brain research, through simple visual and cultural elements of scientific research. The lectures of our neuroscientists in schools were the opportunity to presuade students to follow a career in science. Also, the contact with adults was an opportunity to promote our institution and our research areas. The synergy between promotion of brain research with the promotion of CNC was the best outcome of BAW.
Please share any suggestions or lessons learned that may help others plan future events:
The opening of communication activities to the elderly institutions and associations of people with disabilities, revealed a population that emotionally values the democratization of the scientific knowledge, mainly due to their marginalization in the past.
Did/do you like our Facebook page?
Yes
Was the information provided on Facebook useful?
Yes
Quotable comments which capture successful aspects of your event(s):
The elderly who visited our laboratories often said that "we did not know that the investigation was so advanced" and that "the government should fund more research in neuroscience" Teachers of students with disabilities revealed an emotional gratitude when told our researchers "return to our institution, we want our students to have lunch with you" Children in our "scientific photo boot" said many times that "I want to be a scientist"
