More than 800 middle school students will learn about traumatic brain injuries, brain anatomy and pathology and other brain-related issues - as well as get a chance to hold an actual human brain - during the upcoming tenth annual Brain Awareness Week at the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Washington, D.C. Brain Awareness Week at the Museum is sponsored by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives.

Brain Awareness Week (BAW) activities will take place at the Museum over the course of five days (March 16-20, 2009). Students will hear from a leading researcher or clinician during a brief introductory lecture then rotate through hands-on activity stations to learn about different brain functions, influences on the brain and brain disorders. Those activity stations are managed by BAW Partners in Education (listed below).

Examples of hands-on activities include:

- "The Drunken Brain Exhibit": Step into a novel, multi-sensory exhibit and see the amazing "Drunken Brain," pulsating with electricity and basking in a world of colored lights and eerie sounds. Learn how alcohol interferes with sensory perception, movement, balance, and memory, and demonstrate which brain circuits are involved in alcohol dependence and alcoholism.

- "The Brain of a Snail": By exploring the brain of a snail, learn about neurons and how they communicate with each other and the ways we can trick a neuron with drugs.

- "Are You Smarter Than Neuroscientist?": Play an interactive computer-based game called "Are You Smarter Than a Neuroscientist?" to learn how drugs affect the brain and body.

- "Welcome to Roger's Party": Attempt to navigate an obstacle course while wearing "Fatal Vision" prism goggles, which distort eye-muscle coordination and allow the wearer to experience the loss of coordination and balance similar to that of alcohol intoxication.

- "Hearing: A Pathway to the Brain": Listen to an introduction to the auditory system and how we hear by both air conduction and bone conduction, including a demonstration of how the vestibular system affects our balance.

- "Traumatic Brain Injury: Why You Should Wear a Helmet": Learn what happens to the brain as a result of head injuries by examining radiographs and better understand the importance of wearing sports helmets.

- "Building the Brain": Build a model of the brain using modeling clay and learn about the different functions of each lobe of the brain and the detrimental effects that traumatic brain injury can have on specific areas of the brain.

- "Brain Breaks "Unstick" the Brain": Learn how to start the day with simple and fun brain exercises set to music by country artist Tim McGraw.

"We are thrilled to partner with educators, researchers and clinicians in exploring the myriad ways that science-related education may be offered to students in this museum setting," said Adrianne Noe, Ph.D., the Museum's director. "We hope that students visiting us during Brain Awareness Week are inspired to pursue a scientific discipline as a future career."

Brain Awareness Week 2009 Partners

- Department of Neuropathology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
- Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, Walter Reed Army Medical Center
- The George Washington University Center for Education and Human Services in Acquired Brain Injury
- Howard University
- National Institute on Aging
- National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
- National Institute on Drug Abuse
- National Institute of Mental Health
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
- Society for Neuroscience (Potomac Chapter)
- Audiology Clinic-Army Audiology and Speech Center, Walter Reed Army Medical Center
- Speech Clinic-Army Audiology and Speech Center, Walter Reed Army Medical Center
- The Tug McGraw Foundation

Background

- National Brain Awareness Week programs were first established by the Dana Alliance in 1996, linking scientists, clinicians, journalists, and other educators in an annual effort to raise public awareness about the brain and brain science. In 2000, Dana joined forces with NMHM to develop a program designed especially for middle school students. Brain Awareness Week has helped instill a sense of excitement of science, while bringing awareness and understanding of current research and its translation into clinical practice to young audiences.

Links

- Brain Awareness Week information at the National Museum of Health and Medicine Web site: http://nmhm.washingtondc.museum/events/brain_awareness_09.html
- Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives: http://brainweek.dana.org/
- Society for Neuroscience: http://www.sfn.org/baw/

About the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives

- The Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, a nonprofit organization of more than 265 leading neuroscientists, is committed to advancing public awareness about the progress and promise of brain research and to disseminating information on the brain in an understandable and accessible fashion. Supported entirely by the Dana Foundation, the Dana Alliance does not fund research or make grants.

About the National Museum of Health and Medicine

- The National Museum of Health and Medicine of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, established in 1862, inspires interest in and promotes the understanding of medicine-past, present, and future-with a special emphasis on tri-service American military medicine. As a National Historic Landmark recognized for its ongoing value to the health of the military and to the nation, the Museum identifies, collects, and preserves important and unique resources to support a broad agenda of innovative exhibits, educational programs, and scientific, historical, and medical research. The Museum is an element of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), a tri-service Army, Navy and Air Force agency of the Department of Defense with a threefold mission of consultation, education and research. The Museum is located at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 6900 Georgia Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. Visit the Museum Web site at http://www.nmhm.washingtondc.museum.

National Museum of Health and Medicine