Brain Awareness Week
08/02/06-08/014/06
Several Society for Neuroscience members of the Snake River Association for Neuroscience have been involved in bringing neuroscience education to the public schools in and around Pocatello for a number of years.
This past spring during Brain Awareness Week, Jim Groome, Department of Biological Sciences, went with a cadre of health professions college students enrolled in his neuroscience class to high schools outside of Pocatello. They provided informative presentations about the brain, how it works and principles underlying health and diseases of the brain. Gary Ten Eyck, Department of Biological Sciences also spent time speaking to several elementary school classrooms in Pocatello during Brain Awareness Week.
Curt Anderson, Department of Biological Sciences, has provided ‘brain in a bucket’ presentations to high school students. Since joining the faculty at ISU, Curt has made time each year to visit science classes in the three local high schools where he brings his ‘brain in a bucket’ to discuss functional neuroanatomy.
Leslie Devaud, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, facilitated organization and presentation of brain awareness by professional Pharmacy students to 5th and 6th graders in Pocatello elementary schools over several spring semesters. Students focused on explaining why certain drugs can be bad for the brain and what are the consequences of abuse. Each year, the students selected three or four substances, usually alcohol, marijuana, methamphetamine and inhalants, to discuss. Interactive skits were used to involve the students. This outreach arose from a teacher’s request. He explained that our elementary school students are very involved in the DARE program, which helps them learn to say no to harmful drugs. However, this program doesn’t explain why certain abused drugs are harmful. Even by 4th grade, many students are savvy enough to want explanations, to understand why these drugs are harmful. This was also a valuable learning experience for the Pharmacy students as they became aware of the different types of life experiences that many kids have, even by ten and eleven years of age. It helped them realize that drug abuse is a problem even in our small community and that they will need to be cognizant of this reality as they assist patients in their pharmacies. During the three years that this program was offered, approximately 18 Pharmacy students provided presentations to more than 60 classrooms of 4th and 5th graders.