UF’s McKnight Brain Institute will celebrate Brain Awareness Week starting Monday.
Two former presidents of the National Society for Neuroscience will speak at a chapter conference at the institute next week to celebrate brain awareness. This will be the first time two former presidents attend.
Former presidents Dr. Carol Barnes and Dr. Susan Amara will speak at the conference. Barnes will speak Monday and Amara will be the keynote speaker Tuesday.
Amara will lead a panel discussion Tuesday for students and staff at the institute.
“We wanted strong women in science. We got not only one, but two,” said Danielle Sambo, the Society for Neuroscience’s North Central Florida Chapter president. “Females are often underrepresented in science sometimes, so I think this is very important and something that we are proud of this year.”
The chapter will work with about 20 schools and about 2,000 students across the state during the week, Sambo said.
Caitlin Orsini, the conference chair for the chapter, said high-school and middle-school students will dissect preserved sheep brains. Elementary-school students will color pictures of the brain and learn about Parkinson’s disease, strokes and other diseases.
“I think that it is so cool to reach out to kids at a young age and show them that science can be cool, and it can be fun, and you can do this as a career,” said Abbi Rosen Hernandez, the North Central Florida Chapter conference vice chair.
