Brain Awareness Week 2020

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Brain Awareness Week calendar of events for the UK and Ireland

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!

This UK and Ireland events calendar will be continuously updated with new events - please check back for updates.  

Brain Awareness Week’s 25th-anniversary campaign will take place from March 16-22, 2020. Although those are the official dates, there are lots of events before and after the week itself, so we have extended the calendar to make sure we don't miss anything out. We've also included brain-related events that aren't specifically being held for BAW, but we think are excellent opportunities to find out about neuroscience. 

Enjoy BAW at a venue near you! 

Know about an event that isn't listed here? Please let us know.

Please note, due to the situation with COVID-19, some Brain Awareness Week events may be cancelled at short notice. Please use the contact details given on the websites of the institutions running the events, linked below, to confirm with the organisers that events are still taking place. The British Neuroscience Association is not responsible for the cancellation of any Brain Awareness Week events.

Contents

Events by date

  1. Before 16th March
  2. Monday - 16th March
  3. Tuesday - 17th March
  4. Wednesday - 18th March
  5. Thursday - 19th March
  6. Friday - 20th March
  7. Saturday - 21st March
  8. Sunday - 22nd March
  9. After 22nd March
  10. Events running throughout the year

Events by date

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Before 16th March

Monday - 9th March

Join us for a special Brain Awareness Week pub quiz! Everyone is welcome. £1 entry per person.

Tuesday - 10th March

Come and meet PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and University professors to find out all about neuroscience. 

Wednesday - 11th March

The Walton Centre & Liverpool Neursocience Group together present an extended programme of clinical neuroscience research presentations, followed by the annual Sutcliffe Kerr lecture, this time delivered by Professor Peter Hutchinson who will be speaking on “Rescuing the Injured Brain”. You can attend whichever parts of the day you wish.

This two-day seminar series will provide an insight into important cutting-edge research within the field of neuroscience. Programme: "Memory, dementia and electricity", "Interpreting genes in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease" and"Glia, more than just brain glue?"

Thursday - 12th March

Speaker: Professor Sir Michael Owen, Cardiff University. This lecture is part of our Science in Health Public Lecture Series.

Programme: "Is addiction a chronic brain disease or something else?", "Your brain has a sweet tooth" and "How a single gene can alter how your brain grows: The rare case of PCDH19 Epilepsy"

Saturday - 14th March

An event aimed at children to show them the wonders of the brain through a series of interactive activities and talks. (Pre-booking required for film)

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Monday - 16th March

You are warmly welcomed to join our meet-up for people impacted by cavernoma. Our meet-ups, called CaverCentres, are an opportunity to share experiences, ask questions and hopefully make some new friends too.  CaverCentres are open to people with cavernoma, as well as friends, family and carers.

Researchers will engage with attendees with soapbox-style short talks and hands-on activities, covering a wide range of brain research, from the causes of dementia to pavlovian conditioning.The event will also see two public lectures; Professor Claudio Alonso will explore Neurogenetics and the path from molecules to behaviour and Professor Sarah Garfinkel,  will cover heart-brain interactions in emotion and memory.

 

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Tuesday - 17th March

You are warmly welcomed to join our meet-up for people impacted by Cavernoma. Our meet-ups, called CaverCentres, are an opportunity to share experiences, ask questions and hopefully make some new friends too. CaverCentres are open to people with Cavernoma, as well as friends, family and carers.

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Wednesday - 18th March

The Brain Charity will be throwing open our doors to welcome anyone affected by a neurological condition, along with the wider local community, for our big ‘Head Matters’ open day. The Brain Charity team will be joined by many other organisations and partner charities from the neurological field and beyond to answer your questions and provide advice. The exhibition will be packed with ideas on how to get and stay happy & healthy no matter what your condition.

This free event is open to anyone who wants to know more about how the brain works and ongoing research into neuroscience, biology, genetics, health sciences, medicine and psychology. Along with presentations, there will be live demonstrations on many aspects of neuroscience research, including vision, taste, attention and movement, and the opportunity to meet junior and senior researchers.

Join Professor Joydeep Bhattacharya as he shares the highlights of this fascinating research.

Medical illustrations available for an exclusive one-day viewing

Guided tour of the Anatomical Museum

Come along and meet Christine our host and, as it is ‘Brain Awareness Week', we have invited Debbie Langdon who is an integrative relational counsellor/psychotherapist. She will be giving a short talk on poor self-esteem and relationship difficulties when living with a Cavernoma. Our meet-ups, called CaverCentres, are an opportunity to share experiences, ask questions and hopefully make some new friends too.  CaverCentres are open to people with cavernoma, as well as friends, family and carers.

An opportunity to share experiences, ask questions and hopefully make some new friends. 

Neurotheatre is a re-enactment of simulated brain surgery, featuring state-of-the surgical technology! 

 

 

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Thursday - 19th March

As it is brain awareness week we have organised a Coffee and Chat for Cavernoma Alliance UK members (if you are not a member, it is free to join), please come along and meet other people in your area. We hope to arrange a speaker for this event - this will be confirmed soon.

Synaesthesia is an experience of senses merging, or occurring together, in an unusual way. Synaesthetes might taste words, see them in colour or visualise time laid out in front of them. Michael and team are currently seeking to understand synaesthesia and use the experience as a way to explore human perception in us all. This event will share how they are trying to use this understanding to develop tools that may be useful to aid empathy.

This workshop will explore ethics in research, including how researchers address ethical questions in research projects. (Booking required)

 

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Friday - 20th March

Malcolm is an award winning musician (composer/vocalist/multi-instrumentalist/producer of progressive rock band Hats Off Gentlemen It's Adequate), UCL Medical School honorary senior lecturer in pathology, and former consultant neuropathologist.

In this talk Malcolm explores the biology of music, and how this influences him as a musician. The talk will be followed by a performance by Hats Off Gentlemen It's Adequate including neuroscience-inspired songs from their memory themed album 'Out Of Mind'.

Fusing progressive rock and electronic music.

 

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Saturday - 21st March

Ever wondered how the brain works? Or how we can prevent or treat brain injuries? Experts from The University of Birmingham will be at the Midlands Arts Centre for a day of discussions, talks, screenings and activities uncovering the mysteries of the brain. The event includes a special screening on the 2015 movie Concussion. This sports biopic stars Will Smith as Dr. Bennet Omalu, a forensic pathologist who fights against the National Football League trying to suppress his research on brain degeneration suffered by professional football players.

The screening will be followed by a discussion with a panel of experts from The University of Birmingham Sports Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences and Psychology.

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Sunday - 22nd March

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After 22nd March

Tuesday 24th March

Discussing various lines of research methods used to illustrate multiple brain mechanisms.

Saturday 28th March

Come and explore hands-on activities and interactive games lead by scientists and investigate the ‘Evolution of the brain’ and ‘Brain Art’ exhibitions. Also, throughout the day, hear 'Best of Bristol' talks on topics such as "Brain tumours in children- what's new?" to "Understanding the biology of the opioid crisis" and "Untangling the Rainbow: How Mantis Shrimp Use Nature’s Strangest Eyes (booking required for 'Best of Bristol' talks)

A fun event where students, families and scientists together will meet to discuss about current research on hot neuroscience topics.

 

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Events running throughout the year

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