Event(s) Summary
Number of Events Organized During Brain Awareness Week:
1
Year:
2016
Type of Events Held:
- Lecture/ Briefing
- School Program
Target Audiences:
- Middle school students(6-8)
Approximate Number of People Reached:
275
Details of Major Brain Awareness Week Events/Activities:
Presentation Activities: – Mr. Winters’s and Mrs. Hansen’s 8th grade classes participated, approximately 275 total students. – 5-7 minutes was spent in each class discussing how the book ‘Flowers for Algernon’ was related to the dissection activity. 25-30 minutes was spent in dissection demonstration, examining sheep brains, cow hearts, pig eyes, cow and pig livers, pig trachea and lungs. For the remainder of class, students were allowed to safely touch and hold specimens (while fully gloved and supervised). When students were through touching the organs, they were given a treat bag of prizes and giveaways. – If students did not want to participate in the activity (or if they got queasy during the activity), they were able to go across the hall and watch a film in Mrs. Hansen’s room about neuroscience and its application to adolescent cognition. Nearly all students participated in the dissections. Educational Prizes and Giveaways: – Huntsman Cancer Institute: provided UVA/UVB sunglasses as rewards for participation and answering questions, and provided pamphlets about cancer prevention for each student and their families. – The Dana Alliance: provided brain pencils, brain shaped erasers, brain stickers, brain pins and buttons for each student. Additionally, evidence-based brain research magazines, two activity workbooks per student, bookmarks, and magazines on healthy habits for each student were provided.
Event Planning & Publicity
Publicity Methods Used:
- Emails
- Posters/Flyers
- Other
Other Publicity Methods:
Teachers sent a flier home to parents, and advertised the activity on the school blog.
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:
- Q&A: Answering Your Questions About Brain Research
- It’s Mindboggling!
- BAW Pencils and Erasers
What downloadable materials from the Foundation did you use for your events?
- Q&A: Answering Your Questions About Brain Research Downloads
- BAW Bookmark
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 Web site banner
Feedback & Keys to Success
How do you feel BAW participation benefited your organization and the local community?
Female students were especially excited – some reported to me that they felt empowered to choose a career in the sciences despite social peer and family pressure to select a less-challenging discipline. Many female students wanted additional info on medical schools and opportunities in the hard sciences. I’m so happy to be able to reach these students, and I’m so glad they are exposed to this material. Thank you for providing the resources to make this possible!
Please share any suggestions or lessons learned that may help others plan future events:
Anticipate student needs throughout presentation, and schedule in quick breaks to help keep the focused.
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No
