Good things happen when the science community engages with the public. This was once again proven true during the Brain Awareness Week activities organized by G.H.Scientific with support from the International Brain Research Organisation. The “What Can My Brain Do” events held throughout March for Junior and Senior High school students welcomed over 300 participants from Weija Presbyterian Junior High School, St. Mary’s Senior High School, Accra Girls Senior High School, Galaxy International School and others. The event aimed to provide students with a simplified and comprehensive overview of the physiology and anatomy of the nervous system, demonstrating its operation and functions through various activities.
What Happens During Brain Awareness Week?
Throughout the five-day program to celebrate brain awareness week, students received introductory lessons on the nervous system’s operation and function. They were divided into groups and engaged in practical activities to deepen their understanding. Activities included examining nervous system-related slides under microscopes, conducting knee jerk reflex tests to assess nervous system integrity, and exploring brain-computer interfaces to understand signal processing.
Additionally, students participated in a “spiker box” activity, a constant activity during previous Brain Awareness Week events. Here, they observed cockroach appendages responding to electrical signals from music and learned about blind spots in the retina to enhance their understanding of visual perception. A basic lecture on the nervous system and the opportunity to observe preserved specimens further enriched their learning experience. Students who initially doubted cockroach appendage dancing to the bass of music later appreciated and believed when they had their hands on activities.
Overall, the program was highly engaging for students, particularly during hands-on practical sessions. G.H.Scientific has been running neuroscience experiential days like this over the last seven years during Brain Awareness Week. Looking ahead, the team aims to secure additional funding to expand participation to more schools in future editions of the event. You can see the dancing cockroach for yourself here