Have you ever wondered how a brain really looks and feels? Or what happens to your brain when you hit your head? Or how you can keep your brain healthy? Find out with help from Michigan State University experts during Brain Awareness Week in Grand Rapids.
Events kick off March 12 with a public lecture on Parkinson’s disease research, followed by an interactive Neuroscience Fair, March 14-16 at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, 272 Pearl St. NW.
The Neuroscience Fair is presented by the MSU College of Human Medicine’s Udall Center for Excellence in Parkinson’s Disease Research team, together with neuroscientists at Van Andel Institute, the Hauenstein Neuroscience Center at Saint Mary’s Health Care and Spectrum Health.
“Brain Awareness Week is a worldwide celebration of the brain for people of all ages,” said Kathy Steece-Collier, event organizer and professor in MSU’s Department of Translational Science and Molecular Medicine. “As neuroscience researchers, this is the perfect opportunity for all of us to actually show and tell people about the exciting work being done right here in Grand Rapids and demonstrate why brain research is so important.”
Details for Brain Awareness Week are as follows:
- Jay Van Andel Parkinson’s Disease Lecture, 6 p.m. March 12. Kathleen Shannon, a professor in the Department of Neurological Sciences at Rush University Medical College, presents “What causes Parkinson’s disease? New genetic and environmental clues.” Shannon also will deliver a lecture at noon the same day at Van Andel Institute. Both lectures are free and open to the public.
- Neuroscience Fair, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 14-16. Meet neuroscientists and learn about the marvels of the brain, from how it looks, feels and works to how to keep it healthy. Exhibits include surgery on a jelly brain, brain tricks and optical illusions, extracting DNA from a banana and seeing and touching real human brains. General admission to the Grand Rapids Public Museum is $8 for adults, $7 for senior citizens, $3 for children ages three to 18 and free for children under two. There is no additional charge for participating in the Neuroscience Fair. The public is invited to join the fun.
For more information, click here [PDF].