Event(s) Summary
Number of Events Organized During Brain Awareness Week:
1
Year:
2021
Type of Events Held:
- Conference/Forum
- Online/Virtual
- Workshop
Target Audiences:
- General Public
Approximate Number of People Reached:
423
Details of Major Brain Awareness Week Events/Activities:
Virtual neuroscience outreach conference bridging the neuroscience world and the yoga world. Each day focused on a different theme (yoga and cognition, yoga and mental health, yoga and pain processing) and consisted of:- 13 pre-recorded lectures by top researchers studying how yoga affects the nervous system- daily live Q&A sessions to follow up the lectures (over zoom)- 3 live yoga classes by top yoga teachers- live hands-on neuroscience experiments corresponding to the daily topics (Stroop tests, heart rate variability, subjective scales) Our objectives were to spread scientific literacy and interest in the yoga world, where pseudoscience runs rampant. I think we achieved our goal and got a lot of people thinking critically about how to evaluate what they hear, while also learning new things from experts. The experiments reinforced how science works and how to interpret it.
Event Planning & Publicity
Publicity Methods Used:
- Advertisements
- Calendar Listings (newspapers, radio, television)
- Emails
- Website
- Social Media
Which of These Publicity Methods Was The Most Successful?
Resources
What downloadable materials from the Foundation did you use for your events?
- Truth or Myth Flash Cards
- Q&A: Answering Your Questions About the Brain Booklet
- Successful Aging & Your Brain Booklet
What other downloadable materials would you like the Foundation to provide?
- Activities/Experiments
- New Puzzles/Games
Which BAW graphic materials did you use in publicizing your events?
- Brain Awareness Week Logos
Feedback & Keys to Success
How do you feel BAW participation benefited your organization and the local community?
Totally unexpected, but several people in the conference reached out to me about how this trust in science helped convince them to get the COVID vaccine! I also find attendees sending me papers they’re reading, which suggests they’re engaging with primary literature.
Please share any suggestions or lessons learned that may help others plan future events:
Online conferences are a great format.
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