Putting brains to work

Aaron Newman wears many hats at Dal: he’s an assistant professor in Dalhousie’s Departments of Psychology, Psychiatry, Surgery and Pediatrics, not to mention a Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Cognitive Neuroscience.

But this week he wants us to pay attention to what’s under our hats: our brains.

As the Halifax chapter representative of the Society for Neuroscience, Dr. Newman co-ordinates the varied activities of Brain Awareness Week, held at Dalhousie every March. He recently took time out of his busy schedule to tell us more about the special week.

What is the main goal of BAW?


The goal of BAW is to make the general public, of all ages, more aware of the importance of brain health, and of brain research in making our lives better. While everyone knows that staying physically fit is important to health, people are only starting to really recognize that staying mentally fit is just as important, at all ages.

BAW is co-ordinated by the Dana Foundation, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization, and the Society for Neuroscience, the scientific society that tens of thousands of neuroscientists around the world belong to.

Is there an overriding theme that changes from year to year? 


The one overriding goal is promoting the progress and benefits of brain research. Locally, we have chosen themes in some years, but recently we've found it best to let the many people organizing events come up with their own creative ideas.

What are the challenges?


BAW is entirely run by Dalhousie faulty, students, and staff. We have a shoestring budget and lots of other commitments. But it's amazing how enthusiastically people embrace BAW and generously commit their time to it.

Our other challenge is getting people out to events. We're constantly trying to be innovative in making events that sound fun and interesting enough to get people out to them, when everyone's schedules are so busy these days.

Does a member of the general public have to worry that they’ll be “dazed and confused” if they attend an event?
People shouldn't worry — BAW is for everyone! While we do have scientific talks that may be a bit technical for the average person, most of our events are not geared at scientists, they're geared at everyone.

We go to high schools, community groups like Sparks, and to the Discovery Centre with fun and interesting demonstrations and mini-experiments for kids.

For adults, this year we organized a Brain Fair with all kinds of information and interactive displays to help people improve their "brain health."

We also had a film screening, followed by a panel discussion on brain injury and how well people can recover. Folks will have the chance to ask their own questions of experts in brain injury. We also have a panel discussion on the new neuroimaging techniques like MRI that are starting to be used for things like lie detection and in marketing studies. We'll be discussing both the "promises and perils" of these techniques. Again, it will be an interactive session where the audience can get answers.

What do you hope your audiences get out of the event?

Seniors are probably the most important group to make more aware of brain health. Studies have shown that exercising your brain can help stave off Alzheimer's and other diseases, and help people live independently for longer. Some people don't even realize, but learning new information is good exercise for your brain! So coming out to BAW events, you'll be both exercising your brain and learning useful things.

For students and prospective students, we're hoping to light a fire in the next generation of neuroscientists. Neuroscience is poised to be one of the most important areas of science in the next century, as different drugs and devices are used to treat diseases and even enhance our abilities.

Knowing more about brain health is important for everyone. Also the topics of all of our events will make for great conversations at the dinner table and with friends!

BAW events for the rest of the week:

Wednesday, March 16:

- 9:30 a.m. - 3:15 p.m.: Brain Bee: Trivia Competition for high school students. Tupper Medical Building.
- 11 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.: Brain Activities & Demonstrations at the Discovery Centre. Hosted by Dalhousie's Students in Neuroscience Society.
- 7 - 9 p.m.: Panel Discussion: Neuroimaging: Promises and Perils. Featuring Drs. Ryan D'Arcy (National Research Council), Letitia Meynell (Philosophy, Dalhousie University), and Aaron Newman (Psychology, Dalhousie University). Architecture & Planning Building, Room HA19, 5410 Spring Garden Rd.

Thursday, March 17:

- 11 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.: Brain Activities & Demonstrations at the Discovery Centre. Hosted by Dalhousie's Students in Neuroscience Society.
- 4-7 p.m.: Networking Event: For Researchers and Trainees, University Faculty interested in clinical and applied neuroscience research, and Industry, Government and Research Funding Organization Representatives. Bethune Ballroom, Bethune Building. Sponsored by the Brain Repair Centre. Pre-registration required: lynn.mckenna@dal.ca

Friday, March 18:
- 3:30-4:30 p.m.: Graham Goddard Lecture: Neural regeneration to treat Multiple Sclerosis, Dr. Alyson Fournier, McGill University. 4263 Life Sciences Centre, Dalhousie University. Sponsored by Dalhousie's Undergraduate Neuroscience Society.
- 6:30 - 9 p.m.: Charity Dinner and Silent Auction to support the MS Society of Nova Scotia. World Trade and Convention Centre. Tickets $35, $30 for students. Sponsored by the Undergraduate Neuroscience Society