Make it stand out
BRC Neuroscience Roadshow
Overview
The Brain Repair Centre’s Neuroscience Roadshow is an educational outreach initiative aimed at bringing neuroscience education to high schools across Nova Scotia. The Neuroscience Roadshow is a traveling event consisting of two main components: a seminar, and a “Brain Fair”.
STRUCTURE
The Roadshow will be composed of two main part: a seminar, and a "Brain Fair":
SEMINAR
The seminar will take the form of a 75-minute classroom session delivered to Biology 12 classes. This seminar will be composed of apresentation related to a topic of neuroscience research being conducted at Dalhousie University, along with an applicable interactiveelement, such as a demonstration of relevant research equipment, a hands-on activity or game, or a research method demonstration, for example.
ROADSHOW
The Brain Fair will be an exhibit open to the school as a whole, and will be composed of four to six booths of demonstrations anddisplays pertaining to the works of research labs within the Brain Repair Centre, as well as general neuroscience concepts. Thesedisplays will be interactive and engaging, featuring things such as large-scale model brains, sheep brains, myoelectric technology,computer memory games/software, and microscopy.
LOOKING TO GET INVOLVED?
PIs
We're looking for Primary Investigators who are interested in featuring a topic of their lab's work in the form of a seminar, and/or as a booth at one (or more) of our Brain Fairs! We're looking for interactive and engaging content, such as demos of lab equiptment or research methods, visual displays, intereactive elements, etc.
ROLLOUT
TRAINEES
Trainees from the BRC's reseach labs will be the ones to "run" the Brian Fair booths. These displays will feature engaging and interactive elements, such as demos of lab equiptment or research methods, visual displays, etc.
2024-2025 school year:
In the 2024-2025 school year, we intend to visit four schools, primarily within central Nova Scotia, such as the Halifax Regional Municipality, or nearby regions.
TEACHERS
We're looking for educators who are interested in having the Neuroscience Roadshow attend your school! We provide a "Roadshow" of four interactive booth displays for Grades 9-12, as well as a seminar for Grade 12 Biology classes!
2025-2026 school year:
For the 2025-2026 school year, we intend to visit six schools from a variety of locations all across the province, such as Cape Breton, Yarmouth, and Amherst.
Why is the Neuroscience Roadshow an Important Initiative?
THROUGH EXPOSING STUDENTS TO THE FIELD OF NEUROSCIENCE, IT IS OUR HOPE THAT WE INSPIRE A NEW GENERATION OF YOUTH TO FURTHER EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITIES AND POTENTIAL TO BE FOUND THROUGH PURSUINGPOST-SECONDARY EDUCATION WITHIN THE REALM OF NEUROSCIENCE AND RELATED FIELDS.
Filling a Need
Fostering a new generation of neuroscience professionals isparticularly essential at this juncture in time, especially given the global prevalence of neurological disorders, as well as Canada’s rapidly increasing aging population:
According to the World Health Organization, neurologicaldisorders are the leading global cause of disability, and thesecond leading cause of death, with 1 in 3 people developing aneurological disorder within their lifetime¹.
In Canada, the population of older adults (65+) is six times greaterthan that of children (0-14). In 2022, nearly 20% of Canadians belonged to the older adult age group². Particularly staggering, isthe fact that the Atlantic provinces have the highest concentration of older adults in Canada, with the largest proportions in Newfoundland (24%), New Brunswick (23%), and Nova Scotia (22%)². By 2040, the Atlantic region is expected to have three seniors for every two young people³.
According to a four-year study, the number of Canadians over 65 living with neurological conditions is projected to more than double by 2031, with the most prevalent neurological conditions being traumatic brain injuries, Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, and epilepsy⁴. To put that figure into population terms, that means that for dementia alone, by 2031, within Canada, there will be over 15,500 new cases per month⁵.
¹WHO, 2022. https://www.who.int/news/item/09-08-2022-launch-of-first-who-position-paper-on-optimizing-brain-health-across-life.
²Older adults and population aging statistics. Statistics Canada. https://www.statcan.gc.ca/en/subjects-start/olderadultsand___population_
³Atlantic Canada’s Aging Population. Atlantic Provinces Economic Council. Bulletin 2, Jan 2021.
⁴Mapping Connections: An understanding of neurological conditions in Canada. 2014. Public Health Agency of Canada, NHCC.
⁵Alzheimer Society Canada, 2022. Navigating the Path Forward for Dementia in Canada. The Landmark Study.
Career Focus
For most high school students in the province, their exposure to the field of neuroscience is limited. As such, the Neuroscience Roadshow seeks to increase students’ familiarity and understanding of the subject, and ignite within them an interestin the topic.
Bearing in mind the healthcare challenges and aging population in Nova Scotia, there is a timely need to inspire and encourage the province’s youth to explore and consider a wide variety of career paths pertaining to neuroscience, as well as the field of STEM as a whole. This encompasses roles in research and medicine, as well as positions in fields such as engineering, pharmacy, nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, sonography, MRI technology, and more, as well as careers related to the associated education and policy development of said sectors.
Additionally, the Neuroscience Roadshow aims to deliver high-quality research, practice, and content to help best assist highschool educators in connecting and guiding their students’ neuroscience knowledge and education.
Contact us
If you would like to get involved in the Brain Repair Centre's Neuroscience Roadshow, or have any inquiries or questions, fill out the form or reach out to:
Naomi Sager, Program Coordinator
naomi.sager@dal.ca.
Halifax, NS