Brain Awareness Week Online

17th Mar 2020

Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is a global campaign, founded by The Dana Foundation, to engage and educate the public on the advances and advantages of brain research in a worldwide celebration of the brain!

In the 25 years since its founding, Brain Awareness Week has evolved into a global education initiative that has included the participation of more than 7,300 partners in 117 countries. 

Below we have compiled a list of the many ways you can get involved in Brain Awareness Week online, from doing a brainteaser each day to watching a show about the brain together as a family.

Don't miss out - get stuck in with the world's biggest celebration of the brain this week!

Things to share

• Join in with the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies' (FENS) online BAW celebration here and share your favourite part of the brain with #FavBrainRegion or see what others from around the neuroscience community have shared - a chance to learn about fascinating and wonderful neuroanatomy.

Things to watch

• Watch 'In Their Own Words: Interviews with Pioneers in Science' or listen to the podcast. This week, Sue Nelson speaks with world-leading neurogeneticist Professor John Hardy, University College London, about his work in the genetic causes neurodegenerative diseases as well as other aspects of neuroscience such as concussion in sport and the influences in his life that led him to undertake a career in this field.
• Get the family together to watch BrainWorks, an entertaining and informative show about the brain, created by host Dr. Eric Chudler. The first episode of the series won a Northwest Emmy in 2017 from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The Dana Foundation is proud to provide partner support for this series.
• Watch this animation to see if your brain is lying to you.
• Find out about the brain with videos on the 8 'Core Concepts of Neuroscience'.
• Watch a webinar on 'How the Parkinson's care and research community is responding to the coronavirus', on Thursday 19th March at 4 pm.
• Check out the winners of the 2019 Brain Awareness Week Video Contest, including 'Why Adolescents go to sleep late'.
• Watch a webinar on 'The Artistic Brain: A Neuroaesthetics Approach to Health, Well-being, and Learning' on Thursday 19th March at 4:30 pm. 
• Find out about the effect of alcohol on the brain with this video for children and young people.

• Can I be a scientist if none of my family are scientists or even went to university? Why is neuroscience important? Find answers to these questions in this video from the BNA, featuring Uta Frith, David Nutt, Ruby Wax and others.

• Paul Howard-Jones, well known from the 'Secret Life of 4, 5 and 6 year olds' documentaries, discusses how and if we can apply our burgeoning understanding of how the brain learns to improve teaching and learning in the classroom in this recorded lecture. Watch other BNA videos here.

Things to read

• Read this article about the effect of smoking on the brain, by Dr Sherif Karama, Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
• Find answers to commonly asked questions about the brain and its disorders in this handy Q&A PDF from dana.org.
• Discover more about your body's internal body clock with this article, 'Resetting the Brain's clock'.
• Dana.org's fact sheets cover an array of topics in brain science including neurotransmission, connectivity, the senses, genetics, stroke, and more - for both adults and children.

Things to puzzle over

• Try these 7 brainteasers - one for each day of the Brain Awareness Week!
• Download a puzzle pack, with activities for all ages of children and adults, and give your brain a workout while learning about the brain.
• Read some neurofacts and neuromyths and then take the memory test to see how many journal covers you can match in a minute!

Things to make, play, film and do

• Interact with the brain with BrainFacts.org's 3D brain
• Make a film about the brain and submit it into the annual Brain Awareness Week Video Contest 
• Play 'Pin the senses on the brain' - a fun way to learn about where different senses are processed in the brain
• Try the 'Jelly Bean Taste Test' - you'll separate the sensations of taste and smell to learn how much each contributes to your recognition of a familiar food.
• Build a neuron online and play the neural-network building game or find out how to make your very own neuron buddy. Find out more about the neuron here.
• Learn about the brain with these interactive puzzles and games.
• Make a brain hat or pipecleaner neuron

Things to follow

• Follow @NeurosciAtAston on Twitter as they share some of the amazing things our brains can do and document 'Neuroscience through the ages' with pictures from their archives.
• Follow #brainweek on social media to find more ways to learn about the brain this Brain Awareness Week