Event(s) Summary
Number of Events Organized During Brain Awareness Week:
11
Year:
2015
Type of Events Held:
- Exhibit
- Lecture/ Briefing
- Other
- Radio Show
- Workshop
- Other: Brain Fair
Target Audiences:
- Elementary school students(1-5)
- General Public
- High School students(9-12)
- Middle school students(6-8)
- Patients & Caregivers
- Professionals
- University students
Approximate Number of People Reached:
1680
Details of Major Brain Awareness Week Events/Activities:
Biobus and Biobase events bring science to families in the public. Two of my favorite events. I am thinking of moving Biobus to a different location next year to hit a new crowd, but we always have a full bus, despite the snow. Our Brain Fair brings together NYU Neuroscience community at med center for interactive exhibits and patient information. We grow every year as more people learn about it and hospital leadership gets more excited for the quality of the presentations and the buzz they provide. Staying Sharp at the same time as the fair has exploded in popularity, likely with the help of radio ads from Dana. It also is a great way to attract people to the fair. The Traumatic Brain Injury lecture brought together a clinician and a therapist to talk to a patient group. It was well attended, mainly because of an active patient advocacy mailing group. Drawing the Brain brought an artist into our neuroanatomy lab. It was great fun and beautiful pieces came out of it. Story Collider, BAW edition puts scientists on stage to tell their personal stories. It has been a great collaboration for us. Brain and Brews was our first attempt at science in a bar and worked well. The public wants more accessible science and was very open to tough concepts. Neuroyoga once again attracted a good crowd who stay long after the free yoga is over asking questions. Exercise in the Brain featured superstar neuro-communicator Wendy Suzuki and once again had a sold out room for exercise and lecture
Event Planning & Publicity
Publicity Methods Used:
- Advertisements
- Calendar Listings (newspapers, radio, television)
- Emails
- Posters/Flyers
- Press Release/Media Advisory
- Website
- Social Media
- Other
Other Publicity Methods:
Radio ads on public radio and also a spot on Sirius XM radio
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:
- It’s Mindboggling!
- More Mindbogglers!
- Staying Sharp Bookmark
- BAW Stickers
- BAW Pencils and Erasers
- The Mindboggling Workbook
- BAW Buttons
Other Dana Foundation Materials Distributed:
- Staying Sharp Books and some squishy brains
What other downloadable materials would you like the Foundation to provide?
- Fact Sheets
- Activities/Experiments
- New Puzzles/Games
- New Coloring Sheets
Other Downloadable Materials:
- videos and other multimedia material are also great. Perhaps interviews with scientists.
Feedback & Keys to Success
How do you feel BAW participation benefited your organization and the local community?
It has been a great way to bring together our community. Students, postdocs, and faculty all get involved. They come away rejuvenated. It has also been great press for our researchers and clinicians.
Please share any suggestions or lessons learned that may help others plan future events:
It is best to have too many volunteers signed up. Not everyone is great about sticking to commitments. If you use Eventbrite or a similar free ticket site, don’t worry about selling out a free event. People drop off at higher amounts and we have never had to turn anyone away. But in general if you say there is limited seating, you are fine.
Did/do you like our Facebook page?
Yes
Was the information provided on Facebook useful?
I always like the content. I particularly like the blog posts. I am also a fan of Dana.
