March is the month to get inside your head. Brainstorm, a monthlong brain awareness program sponsored by the Vanderbilt Brain Institute and the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience, aims to educate the public about the importance of brain research in understanding, treating and ultimately curing brain-related diseases.
The international Brain Awareness program was established in 1995 by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting public understanding of brain function, and the Society for Neuroscience, an international community of more than 25,000 brain researchers.
• March 1 — Brain Blast! 11 a.m. to 3 p.m, Adventure Science Center. Enjoy a variety of hands-on activities led by Vanderbilt neuroscience undergraduates, graduate students and faculty. Brain Blast is included in the Science Center admission fee.
• March 17 — Brainstorm 2008 Keynote Address —"Records of our Lives, Memory and its Disorders," — Neal Cohen, Ph.D., University of Illinois, Integrative and Cognitive Neuroscience; 4 p.m., 114 Furman Hall with reception to follow in Wilson Hall.
• March 25 — "New Treatments for Old Disorders: Deep Brain Stimulation,” — Joseph Neimat, M.D., Vanderbilt Department of Neurosurgery, 6:30 p.m., Adventure Science Center with reception to follow.
• March 31 — "Autism Facts and Fiction: Rates, Trends, and Links with Immunizations,” — Eric Fombonne, M.D., McGill University, 4 p.m., Room 241 Kennedy Center with reception to follow.
For more information on these events, contact the Vanderbilt Brain Institute: 936-2637, brain.institute@vanderbilt.edu, or visit the Web site http://braininstitute.vanderbilt.edu.