Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin

Our program of the Brain Awareness Week (BAW) 2018 was designed to address various target groups from pupils grade 10 to academia. With an introductory lecture on perceptual illusions that was held for high school students, Afterwards, students were able to choose between seven different workshops on topics ranging from “Introduction into synapses with lab visit” to “fMRI – how does it work, what can we do with it”, “New methods of multiple sclerosis diagnoses”. In the evening we organized a book presentation. The book is a popular science introduction into brain function and disfunction and was presented by the authors The authors were happy to answer the audience’s questions after the presentation. On Tuesday evening we organized a screening of the movie “Run and Jump” by Steph Green (German version). Dr. Benjamin Hotter answered questions after the movie. On Thursday our partner “Berlin School of Mind and Brain” organized a public keynote lecture in German language “Bewusstsein erklären: Wie geht das?” “Explaining consciousness: how is that possible?” by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Prinz (Leipzig). A museum tour in the “Medizinhistorisches Museum” of the Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin was offered on Friday for the general public. The guide focused on brain exhibits, especially on brain damages (16 participants). During the whole week, the photo exhibition “The Beautiful Mind” was displayed at the Servicepunkt Schlaganfall at the Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin. It showed 20 large-size illuminated photos of neurons that were taken in several labs all over the world. The 8th Annual regional neuroscienctific olympiade for high school students took place on Saturday at the Max-Delbrück Centrum.

Pupils have a chance to see cutting edge science, to enter labs, talk to professors and students and get an insight into university live. The general public is informed about new topics in science in an understandable and entertaining way.