“Brain Awareness Week is a nationwide effort to support the benefits of brain research,” says Anna Brettman (12), IB Psychology student and planner in WesternMichiganUniversity’s Brain Awareness Fair. Brettman, along with other students and IB Psychology teacher Mrs. Thole have collaborated with psychology Professor Lisa Baker of WMU to support public and personal neuroscience awareness through the Brain Awareness Fair.

Brain Awareness Week, officially from March 10th to March 16th, is part of the national movement to promote public and personal awareness of the benefits of research on the brain and neuroscience. In order to promote Brain Awareness Week, Dr. Baker joined with Northern psychology students to plan and carry out the Brain Awareness Fair, to be held on Saturday, March 29th, from noon to 4PM in WMU’s Haenicke Hall. “[Dr. Baker] wanted to do something where Northern students could get involved,” says Brettman. “We decided to do an event supporting research with activities open to a broad range of ages and people.”

Northern IB Psychology students have created and planned several activities and events to support brain research at the Fair. Activities such as plastic brain painting and constructing neurons through art will be available for younger children, as well as lab demonstrations by WMU professors and brain dissections will also be taking place for older audiences. The WMU psychology department gave the planners of the event at Northern the opportunity to travel to Western and dissect sheep brains to learn how to help on the day of the Brain Awareness Fair.

“We’re hoping to show our support for the brain research community, as well as raise public awareness on the benefits of neurological study,” says Mrs. Thole. With a wide variety of activities for all age groups, WMU’s psychology department with Northern’s IB Psychology students endeavor to advocate the importance of brain research and neuroscience.