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 is composed of two main part: a seminar, and a "Brain Fair":

SEMINAR

The seminar takes the form of a 75-minute classroom session delivered to Biology 12 classes, presented by a Dalhousie scholar (Professor or PhD student). The seminars are composed of a presentation related to a topic of neuroscience research being conducted at Dalhousie University, along with an applicable interactive element, such as a demonstration of relevant research equipment, a hands-on activity or game, or a research method demonstration, for example.

BRAIN FAIR

The Brain Fair is an exhibit open to the school as a whole, and will be composed of four to six booths of demonstrations and displays pertaining to the works of research labs within the Brain Repair Centre, as well as general neuroscience concepts. These displays are interactive and engaging, featuring things such as large-scale model brains, animal brains, myoelectric prosthetic, computer memory games/software, and microscopy visuals.

LOOKING TO GET INVOLVED?

PRIMARY INVESTIGATORS

We are 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 are looking for interactive and engaging content, such as demos of lab equipment or research methods, visual displays, interactive elements, etc.

TRAINEES

We are looking for trainees from research labs affiliated with the BRC to run Brain Fair booths.
These displays will feature engaging and interactive elements, such as demonstrations of lab equipment or research methods, visual displays, etc.

TEACHERS

We are 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.

ROLLOUT

2024-2025 school year:

In the latter part of the 2024-2025 school year, we visited four schools, within the Halifax Regional Municipality: JL Ilsley High, Charles P Allen (CPA), Woodlawn High and Citadel High.
The pictures below are some of the highlights from these visits.

2025-2026 school year:

In the 2025-2026 school year, we intend to visit six schools from a variety of locations across the province,
such as Cape Breton, Yarmouth, Amherst and the South Shore.

JL Ilsley / Dr Vic Rafuse & Dr Borbola Podor

JL Ilsley / Minister Brendan Maguire with Naomi Sager & Dr Vic Rafuse

JL Ilsley / Kerri McPherson, EECD & Naomi Sager

JL Ilsley / Dr Borbala Podor, Guest Presenter

JL Ilsley / Anneka Benson, grad student with Brian the Brain

JL Ilsley / Minister Maguire with grad student, Emily Rafuse, showing a dolphin brain

Woodlawn High / Dr Colin McCormack, Guest Presenter

Citadel High / Guest Speaker, Dr Phil Tibbo

Citadel High Brain Fair/ Some of the BRC student reps

Citadel High Brain Fair / TIDE Program reps Nicole Stinson &

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 pursuing post-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, neurological disorders are the leading global cause of disability, and the second leading cause of death, with 1 in 3 people developing a neurological disorder within their lifetime¹.

Statistics Canada reported that the number of individuals in Canada aged 65 and over grew six times faster than the number of children under 15 between 2016 and 2021. In 2022, nearly 20% of Canadians belonged to the older adult age group². Particularly staggering, is the 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