Universidade Federal do Sul e Sudeste do Pará

This year, BAW followed our tradition of having school programs (outreach activities) mixed with symposia for university students. We have tried to measure the impact of the school programs and, although the data is still being analyzed, some positive results appear to be taking shape: our aims with these programs was to demistify neuroscience, atttact young minds to this career path, and change attitudes towards science in general, and an overall positive result was reached. The school program was aimed towards public schools in vulnerable regions of Marabá, a city in the outskirts of the Amazon region. We also gathered the opinion of participants in the symposium, with overwhelmingly positivr reactions. Some named this (the fifth edition in Marabá) “the best BAW so far”. The symposium was organized around the theme of brain and food, with film screenings, debates, and roundtables on topics such as feeding disorders, diet pills, psychosocial aspects of beauty standards, and the neural basis of feeding. We also offered for the first time two cultural activities: a live action roleplaying game (“The Road Not Taken”, about choices and decision making); and a “pint of science” type of activity in which the neuroscience of eating was discussed with the general public in a bar. These were very well-received.

The school program served as a lauching platform for a long-term program that will be applied in public schools. The idea is to keep on discussing the brain with kids from underprivileged settings. The teachers were also interested in extending the programs yo cover the science fairs that will happen by the end of the year.

Working with partners around the world to provide content in other languages would be good.