Event(s) Summary
Number of Events Organized During Brain Awareness Week:
4
Year:
2017
Type of Events Held:
- Exhibit
- Lecture/ Briefing
- School Program
Target Audiences:
- High School students(9-12)
- Middle school students(6-8)
- University students
Approximate Number of People Reached:
1200
Details of Major Brain Awareness Week Events/Activities:
Colorado State University celebrated BAW 2017 by providing 4 educational outreach events in 3 different cities. Our audience consisted of middle and high school students and our objectives were to: 1) Teach local students about neuroscience and give them an opportunity to meet and talk to university faculty and students and 2) Provide an opportunity for Colorado State University students to share their neuroscience knowledge and experience teaching in a small group setting. For each event, 10-11 interactive stations and supplies were brought to the school. Each station had an informative poster, an interactive component, and 1-2 volunteers to guide students through the information and activities. Over 100 volunteers from CSU helped staff stations that covered topics including sensory systems, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, bullying and the brain, specific diseases, neuroanatomy, and the Drosophila neuromuscular junction. Both the human and comparative anatomy stations had real brain specimens that the students could handle and touch with gloves. Many of the stations had brain erasers, pencils, and booklets provided by the Dana Foundation. These were given to students who asked questions or who answered questions raised by CSU volunteers after the presentation and activities. The department of Biomedical Sciences at CSU provided funding for supplies and BAW t-shirts for volunteers. The program objectives were achieved, all events were successful, with multiple positive comments from the middle and high school students and their teachers as well as from the CSU volunteers. One of the events was covered by CSU media: http://source.colostate.edu/csu-neuroscientists-share-mind-blowing-details-brain
Event Planning & Publicity
Publicity Methods Used:
- Emails
- Press Release/Media Advisory
- Social Media
- Other
Other Publicity Methods:
The teachers that I worked with at each school notified other teachers about the opportunity to bring their classes to visit our program while we were set up at each school.
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:
- BAW Stickers
- BAW Pencils and Erasers
- Other
Other Dana Foundation Materials Distributed:
- BAW buttons
What other downloadable materials would you like the Foundation to provide?
- Fact Sheets
- Activities/Experiments
Which BAW graphic materials did you use in publicizing your events?
- BAW Logos
Feedback & Keys to Success
How do you feel BAW participation benefited your organization and the local community?
BAW participation provides CSU students with the opportunity to be involved in community outreach and teach younger students about neuroscience. BAW also increases awareness about the positive impact that CSU has on the local community. Middle and high school student benefits include learning about neuroscience, interacting with CSU students and faculty, and experiencing the fun part of science. Multiple local students and their teachers expressed excitement and interest about the topics.
Please share any suggestions or lessons learned that may help others plan future events:
Successful events require careful planning and good communication between the BAW partners and the local school community.
Did/do you like our Facebook page?
Yes
Was the information provided on Facebook useful?
I’ve been participating in BAW for many years, so I didn’t really look at the information this year.
