International Brain Awareness Week

Picture credit: Society for Neuroscience

The study of the brain is a curious matter, for it requires one to use the subject to study itself. 

This March, UNAM Los Angeles, UCLA and the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles will be hosting a series of activities and lectures about the brain as part of the International Brain Awareness Week (BAW). The event will take place at the consulate from March 17^th to the 22^nd making this the first bilingual edition of BAW. This event is for the general public however it is particularly interested in promoting the neurosciences to the youth and hopefully stimulating interest in future study thereof.

Brain Awareness Week is a global campaign aimed at increasing public awareness of the progress and benefits of brain research. In 2015 it will celebrate 20 years of worldwide campaigning. Partner organizations across the globe host creative and innovative activities in their communities to educate kids and adults about the brain and the importance of studying neuroscience and related fields. Last year, in 2014, there were more than 860 events held in 55 countries.

As part of its program it will feature prominent scientists from UCLA and UNAM speaking on topics having to do with brain functions and disorders/diseases. In addition, it will have interactive exhibitions for the public to get a bit more of a hands-on approach. There will also be video and audio exhibitions for the public to gain a more sensorial appreciation of the subject matter.

This is a very good opportunity for the Hispanic community in Los Angeles to familiarize itself with a growing field. The brain is considered to be one of the last frontiers in science and it is a subject we both know a lot and very little of, at the same time. The next decade will definitely bring huge leaps in the understanding of it and hopefully, some of the contributors to this knowledge will come from these young, talented individuals in the ever growing Latin population.