MUSEUM HOSTS FOURTH ANNUAL BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK
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Area middle and high school students visited the National Museum of Health and Medicine to learn about brain science during the fourth annual Brain Awareness Week. Students played trivia games, held a brain, and participated in in-depth discussions, all in the name of science.

In previous years, only middle school students from the Washington, D.C. area came to the museum to learn about the brain during the week-long program. This year was different. High school students were offered a modified Brain Awareness Week program from March 4-7, 2003 and middle school students attended a more hands-on program from March 12-14, 2003.

"Initially, the Brain Awareness Week program was designed especially for middle school students," said Janet Burns, the museum's public programs coordinator. "Last year we received a number of inquiries from high school teachers interested in such a program so the public program staff developed a program that responded to area high school curriculum requirements."

High school students listened to presentations about the effects of drugs on the brain and teenage mental health. Dr. Donald Vereen, Jr., from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, spoke to students about how the drug "ecstasy" deteriorates the brain. Dr. Carol Lynn Trippitelli, a private practice psychiatrist in D.C., discussed teen depression. After the talk, students viewed the 20- minute film, "Day for Night: Recognizing Teen Depression." The film was created by the Depression and Related Disorder Association and featured teenagers who were diagnosed and treated for depression to discuss the disease.

Middle school students were able to discover the various functions of the brain by visiting a variety of stations set up throughout the museum. Each station was designed by collaborating institutions called Partners In Education. This year's Partners In Education included the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, National Institute of Mental Health, the Defensive Head Injury Program at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the neuropathology department of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, and the National Museum of Health and Medicine.

Dr. Denise Pintello and Dr. Anna Staton from the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) were hosts of the trivia game "Who Wants to be a NIDA Neuroscientist." The game is patterned after the television show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," and includes questions related to drug abuse and brain science.

At the station presented by Kumudini Mayur, Ph.D., an imaging scientist for the Human Developmental Anatomy Center at the museum, students played a game that demonstrated which parts of the brain are associated with certain motor skills.

Lt. Col. John Paul Bouffard, from the neuropathology department of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, created a station that allowed students to view damaged and diseased brain tissue through a microscope.

"Most groups seemed very interested to know how complicated the brain is," said Bouffard. "Teachers really like the station and came to me after the presentation was over to ask questions of their own."

Archibald Fobbs, manager of the National Museum of Health and Medicine's neuroanatomical collections, designed a station that allowed students to put on latex gloves and hold human brains. This gave students a real hands-on approach to learning. Fobbs' station also used slides to made anatomical comparisons of brains. One slide depicted the damaged brain of a child who was not wearing a helmet and fell off his bike. Another station that showed the effects of physical brain injury was that of Dr. Lisa Moy Martin, from the Defensive Head Injury Program at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Magnetic Resonance Images (MRI) were used to show what the brain looks like when it is injured.

Other activities demonstrated how alcohol and drugs affect the brain. Dr. Dennis Twombly and Dr. Roger Sorenson from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism created a tent with flashing lights to replicate the electrical activity of the brain. When the "brain" was impaired by alcohol, it did not receive signals correctly and the lights did not flash as rapidly as they would at normal levels. Dr. Vishnu Purohit discussed the effects of alcohol and drugs on the liver.

While at a station created by the museum's neuroanatomical collection, students were instructed by Surinder Sandhu, Ph.D. to walk in a straight line while wearing Fatal Vision Goggles, a pair of distortion goggles that alter perspective and shows how the brain reacts in a drunken state or under the influence of drugs.

"The students really enjoyed the simulation," said Mary Chatmon, a teacher at the Takoma Educational Center in D.C. "This program is giving them more awareness, and first-hand experience. What they've learned is no longer just theory, it is real life."

After two hours of solving puzzles and participating in hands-on sessions, students left the museum with a greater understanding of the brain.

"Schools inquire about Brain Awareness Week up to nine months in advance," said Sandy Saluke, the museum's educator. "I think that a major asset of this program is the opportunity for children to talk directly to scientists actively involved in research. They are knowledgeable about the field and they serve as models for students considering careers in science."