Event(s) Summary
Number of Events Organized During Brain Awareness Week:
1
Year:
2021
Type of Events Held:
- Brain Bee
Target Audiences:
- High school students (9-12)
Approximate Number of People Reached:
20
Details of Major Brain Awareness Week Events/Activities:
Dr. Camille Tessitore King and Dr. Lisa Robison organized the Psychology Department’s first ever Brain Bee! Students from two local high schools competed in the event held virtually on April 10. The preliminary round was a 50 question multiple-choice test based on information from Brain Facts-A Primer on the Brain & Nervous System; the final round was the official “bee” in which students were required to answer questions orally in a virtual format! Thanks to a mini-grant we were awarded by the Nina B. Hollis Institute for Educational Reform, we were able to give all participants a certificate of participation, a Chick-Fil-A gift card, and brain erasers! Cash prizes and trophies were also awarded to the top three performers in the preliminary round and in the oral bee. Our overarching goal was 1) to increase student (teens 13-19 years old) engagement with the field of neuroscience so as to inspire them to seek further education and/or a career in the field. A co-goal was 2) to make and strengthen our connections with local high schools to promote interest in Stetson University. We truly believe we achieved both goals albeit on a smaller scale this year (our pilot year). Our long-term goals include growing the number of high schools and participants and to become affiliated with the International Brain Bee (IBB). Toward those ends, 1) we plan to do Info-sessions in the fall at each high school in the district; and 2) we have already submitted our application to become a Local Coordinators for the IBB for next year.
Event Planning & Publicity
Publicity Methods Used:
- Emails
- Posters/Flyers
- Website
- Other
Other Publicity Methods:
We met virtually with administrators and teachers from the two schools who responded favorably to our initial email.
Which of These Publicity Methods Was The Most Successful?
Resources
What other downloadable materials would you like the Foundation to provide?
- New Fact Sheets
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?
Strengthening connections with the local community is always good for any university and any community. For our department, in particular, one of the high school teachers we worked with is interested in having his high school psychology honor society students work with our Psi Chi chapter next year! After the event, several of the Brain Bee participants expressed interest in Stetson (and in neuroscience) –and one came for a campus tour!
Please share any suggestions or lessons learned that may help others plan future events:
Start early with your planning! It took a long time to make the right connections in the high schools, to prepare the PowerPoint lectures we used for the tutorials we held a few nights a week, and to make the questions for the Brain Bee!
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