University of Tennessee Knoxville

The purpose of our Brain Awareness Week was to engage students and faculty across the university disciplines and encourage them to learn more about the fascinating field of neuroscience.This program sought to increase awareness of the importance of neuroscience education and research, and it did just that. Our organization gained many members throughout the week and our events were well attended–breaking previous year records significantly. Events were not discipline-specific, demonstrating the expansive relevance of neuroscience. Ultimately the week provided stimulating events for professors and students alike, and the field of neuroscience gained many more pursuers. A list of the events & activities follows: Events Occurring All Week: We hosted interactive activities on the main campus walkways, allowing students to talk about neuroscience and even touch sheep brains! We also had a neuroscience art gallery that displayed both university students’ artwork as well as the artwork from the women of an Arts & Alzheimer’s group. Monday: Owen Jones, JD came from Vanderbilt to speak about Neuroscience in the Courtroom. Tuesday: Dr. Paul Ragan, addictionologist/psychiatrist, came from Nashville to speak about the neuroscience behind addiction. Wednesday: Alex Norton came from MIT to speak about Eyewire: a computer game to map the brain. Thursday: Dr. Rajan Mahadevan, Ph.D. UT, hosted a lunch and learn on how to become a memory master. There was also an elementary school outreach program to teach K-3rd graders basic concepts of neuroscience.

BAW sparked an interest for neuroscience in many undergraduate students at UT. Students requested to join the Advancement of Neuroscience at UT undergraduate organization, and we as an organization were able to provide information on how students could become more involved. This helped grow our organization and foster a community of scholars invested in neuroscience research and education.

We would most likely advise that people aim for BAW to be a cross-disciplinary program. This yields the best turn out for events and ultimately the most meaningful week. BAW is at its best when it engages the entire community, and showing how relevant neuroscience is in many different fields really made our week special.