Children and adults are invited to a Brain Expo Friday, April 3 at the Memorial Student Center on Marshall University’s Huntington campus for fun, exploration, education and prizes. The expo will take place from 2 to 7 p.m.

“Be prepared to have your mind boggled at Brain Expo on Friday, April 3,” said Dr. Nadja Spitzer, a research neuroscientist at Marshall and director of the event. “Brain Expo will feature a collection of fun and intriguing exhibits, with hands-on activities and games.”

The interactive stations at Brain Expo address topics ranging from brain anatomy to reflexes. After exploring unbelievable optical illusions and losing their own hand, a visitor can explore other exciting hands-on activities such as:

• Amazing Memories: play memory games and see how your memory can be fooled
• Eating Pizza is NOT a No-Brainer: explore all the parts of the brain involved in a simple activity such as eating pizza
• The Electrical Cell: build your own neuron keychain
• Do Bugs (and other creepy-crawly critters) Have Brains?: explore the simplest of nervous systems
• Color Your Own Brain Hat: you’ll be the smartest kid in class sporting your color-coded brain on the outside of your head
• Get Conditioned: can you be trained to scratch your ear at the sound of a bell?

A complete listing of all the stations is available on the Web at www.marshall.edu/baw. After participating in the activities at eight stations at the expo, children may enter to win door prizes.

In addition to a collection of interactive learning stations, Marshall University and Marshall Community and Technical College will be offering information about professional and academic career opportunities in neuroscience. St. Mary’s Medical Center will present an interactive station about brain and spinal cord safety and Latta’s School Supplies will exhibit a collection of educational resources related to neuroscience.

“Events such as Brain Expo are important and effective ways to work with local schools and the community to address the challenge of science literacy,” Spitzer said. “Studies at similar events around the country have demonstrated that students find neuroscience more ‘fun’ and more ‘interesting’ after participating. This gets them more excited about science at a younger age and makes them more likely to consider neuroscience as a potential career choice.”

Brain Expo is a part of an International Brain Awareness Campaign founded by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives. “Dozens of faculty and students from diverse departments and institutions have come together to conceptualize, build and present these interactive stations. It is a fantastic effort of collaboration in reaching out to kids and the public to motivate interest in the brain and science,” Spitzer said.

The event brings scientists and students from Marshall University, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall Community and Technical College and St. Mary’s Medical Center together with children and the general public in a “reverse science fair format.” This event is an excellent opportunity for kids to talk with real scientists and take part in fun activities that demonstrate how the brain and nervous system work, according to Spitzer.

Brain Expo is sponsored by the Cell Differentiation and Development Center, the College of Science, the Biomedical Science program, the Department of Biological Sciences and the College of Liberal Arts at Marshall University, as well as St. Mary’s Medical Center, Marshall Community and Technical College, and Latta’s School Supplies of Huntington, W.Va.