Wayne State University

Brain Day in Detroit is an event that has been held for over 20 years, including in 2020 prior to the pandemic shut-down. This year’s event was held on March 12. We partner with the Michigan Science Center located in Midtown Detroit adjacent to our university This year we had 875 members of the general public attend Brain Day, the highest attendance at the center since the pandemic.

14 stations were placed around the center, each presented by a different research group from multiple programs at Wayne State. These stations were staffed with over 100 volunteers, including undergraduate, graduate, and medical students as well as faculty and post-docs. This broad list of participants helps to underscore the importance of the event in bringing together members of the Detroit neuroscience community for this event. Generally, each research group organizes an activity along the themes of their research. This decentralized approach makes planning much easier as the job of the central coordinator becomes one of a liaison between the research groups and the very helpful Science Center staff.
Activities included a human brain display, exhibits on brain development and aging, activities focused on drug safety, addiction, head safety, and more! We also had an arts and crafts area specifically for the youngest visitors.

We hold this event with very little outside funding. Disposable supplies are donated to the individual activity groups from their home units. We received a donation of “Miracle Berry” tablets for our sensation of taste exhibit from the manufacturer of this product (mBerry). Most of the “take-aways” distributed at the event are generously provided by the DANA foundation or other research organizations.

It helps to bring together the neuroscience community at Wayne State, which is widely dispersed. It also helps us to strengthen our relationship with our partner the Michigan Science Center. Connections made at the event have resulted in other activities held at schools and community centers.

Allow your groups to be independent and creative, and allow for plenty of time to plan! We have one person as a central organizer who serves largely as a liaison to the Science Center to arrange space, tables, etc. All other planning is done by the independent research groups.