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Brain Awareness Week - NIH Programs

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BAW logoFor the 10th consecutive year, the National Museum of Health and Medicine will host a Brain Awareness Week program for middle school students. BAW will occur the week of March 16 (Monday) through March 22 (Sunday), 2009. The program consists of presentations and hands-on activities. Schools may choose one of the two (lasting 2 hours) sessions offered each day. Each session will start with a plenary session (lasting 20 to 30 minutes) that will feature a lecturer who will provide introductory information on the brain and its functions and/or specific information regarding a partner's focus, current research or brain science. Following the plenary session, students are divided into small groups and sent to visit each station as a group. Students will spend 15 to 20 minutes at each station (depending on how long the lectures last and the arrival time of the school groups). The presentations are the same for each session since a new set of students show up at each session. NMHM and the partners try to make the lectures and stations educational, as well as a lot of fun for both the students and the presenters. BAW is usually very exciting and lots of fun for everyone.
  • View the complete list of Brain Awareness Week Partners


  • Brain Awareness Week Programs from NIH


    NINDS Deputy Director, Dr. Walter Koroshetz speaks to students during Brain Awareness Week 2008

       NINDS Deputy Director, Dr. Walter Koroshetz speaks to students during Brain Awareness Week 2008   NINDS Deputy Director, Dr. Walter Koroshetz speaks to students during Brain Awareness Week 2008   3- Lynn Morin shows students a model of a human brain during Brain Awareness Week 2008   Dr. Dan Stimson discusses the brain's temporal lobe with students during Brain Awareness Week 2008   Dr. Jennifer Mehren discusses stroke warning signs with students during Brain Awareness Week 2008
    NINDS logo

    National Institute of Neuological Disorders and Stroke  (NINDS)
    "Night of the Living Brain"


    NIA logo

    National Institute on Aging  (NIA)
    "Complexity of the Brain"


    NIDA logo

    National Institute on Drug Abuse  (NIDA)
    "Simulated Party"


    NIAAA logo

    National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism  (NIAAA)
    "The Drunken Brain"


    NIMH logo

    National Institute of Mental Health  (NIMH)
    "The Wonders of the Brain"



    NINDS logo
    National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
    "Night of the Living Brain"
    Neuroscientists will give an interactive demonstration about sleep and how it is related to brain function. Students will learn that the need for sleep is widespread throughout the animal kingdom, that the brain is active during sleep, and that sleep might help strengthen memories. At the end of the demonstration, students will test their knowledge through a game similar to the television show Jeopardy. Winners will receive an NINDS stress ball "brain," and everyone will receive publications designed for students and parents.
    NIA logo
    National Institute on Aging (NIA)
    "Complexity of the Brain"
    A scientist with the NIA's Division of Neuroscience, will be giving a presentation on the complexity of the brain. She will explore the uniquely human qualities such as memory, speech and abstract thinking that reside in the brain, and will provide the students with methods designed to maintain the health of their brains throughout life.
    NIDA logo
    National Institute on Drug Abuse  (NIDA)
    "Simulated Party"
    At the NIDA booth students will be invited to a simulated "party" for fun and games, where they will learn about the physical and societal harms of alcohol and drug abuse. During the first half of the presentation, "party" guests will be engaged in an interactive discussion that will include identifying possible reasons why people may choose to drink alcohol or take drugs, the immediate and long-term medical and social consequences of substance abuse, and the particular risks of binge and underage alcohol and drug abuse. The guests will attempt to navigate an obstacle course or hit balloons while wearing Fatal Vision prism goggles that simulate the impaired visual and motor performance that can result from excessive alcohol or drug abuse.
    NIAAA logo
    National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism  (NIAAA)
    "The Drunken Brain"
    Step inside NIAAA's novel, multi-sensory exhibit and see the amazing "Drunken Brain," pulsating with electricity and basking in a world of colored lights and eerie sounds. An NIAAA neuroscientist will explain why alcohol interferes with sensory perception, movement, balance and memory, and demonstrate which brain circuits are involved in alcohol dependence and alcoholism.
    NIMH logo
    National Institute of Mental Health  (NIMH)
    "The Wonders of the Brain"
    NIMH's presentation, "The Wonders of the Brain," is about perception. Led by young scientists in the NIMH Division of Intramural Research, students explore how the mind plays tricks with images it sees, such as the elephant with too many legs or the old crone who transforms into a beauty before your very eyes. One interesting scientific anomaly that the students explore is the Stroop effect, first identified in 1935. If you try to name the physical color of a word, the word itself can "interfere" with the process of naming the color of the word. If the word and color don't match, it often takes even longer to name the color. The purpose of the exhibit is help the participants think about how their brains work-to become brain aware.

    BAW Partner Homepages

Last updated August 07, 2009