Event(s) Summary
Number of Events Organized During Brain Awareness Week:
one
Year:
2019
Type of Events Held:
- Exhibit
Target Audiences:
- Elementary school students(1-5)
- General Public
- Other: young children
Approximate Number of People Reached:
100
Details of Major Brain Awareness Week Events/Activities:
Psychology students engaged children and families at the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota as part of our 2nd Annual Experiencing Psychology, an outreach event from the Department of Psychology at Minnesota State University, Mankato. In 2019, over 45 undergraduate students participated in presenting eight different demonstrations related to psychological science. Demonstrations included a portable EEG machine that showed children their brain waves, 3D printed animal brains, opportunities to build brains and neurons out of play-doh and pipe cleaners, perceptual shift goggles, facial expression and emotion interactive materials, helmet and brain safety information using gelatin brains, and an actual human brain. The event was promoted via a press release from MSU, and KEYC attended one session and filmed a short TV piece about the event. The goal of Experiencing Psychology is to raise awareness of psychology as a science, and to provide psychology students with a unique opportunity to develop their communication skills through engaging children in play-based demonstrations of psychology. The demonstrations present different aspects of understanding the brain through an interactive, hands-on approach. This project has been supported by funds from the Department of Psychology as well as the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences; funds are used to purchase demonstration materials.
Event Planning & Publicity
Publicity Methods Used:
- Advertisements
- Calendar Listings (newspapers, radio, television)
- Emails
- 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:
- BAW Stickers
- BAW Pencils
What other downloadable materials would you like the Foundation to provide?
- New Lesson Plans
- Activities/Experiments
- New Coloring Sheets
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?
We used the BAW resources when developing our demonstrations and training our undergraduate students on how to effectively talk about the brain. Our event raised the general public’s appreciate of psychology as a science, and our students were very engaged with the opportunity to talk about the brain with young children.
Please share any suggestions or lessons learned that may help others plan future events:
When working with young children, it’s important to focus on interaction and play–you’re not ‘teaching’ them things, you’re giving them a chance to engage and play. Keeping discussion short and asking kids questions about the brain was difficult for our students, who initially approached this in a more ‘academic’ mode.
Did/do you like our Facebook page?
Yes
Was the information provided on Facebook useful?
No suggestions; very helpful.
