Reversed Brain Competition

4/1/03

CONTACT:
Margie Yu
Public Affairs Spec.
(323) 343-3047

Calendar
of Events

3rd and 4th Graders
to Judge "Brain" Exhibits
by Cal State L.A. Students

What:
As part of the first-ever East Los Angeles Kids Judge! Neuroscience Fair, members of the Neuroscience Club (“The Brain Club”) at Cal State L.A. will make presentations that explain how brain and nerve cells function. An unconventional science fair where the tables are turned—college students and faculty compete while kids judge—the event pits neuroscientists against one another. One hundred and twenty-nine 3rd and 4th graders from four Los Angeles area schools (Ann Street, Kennedy, Loreto Street, and Multnomah Elementary Schools) will judge the entries and proclaim a winner. Exhibits in the competition include “How to Build a Nerve Cell in Eight Easy Steps,” “You Light Up My Brain,” “Heady Histology,” “Jump Start Your Nerves,” and more.

When:
Wednesday, April 2, 2003, 8:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Kids judge exhibits: 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Awards ceremony: 12:30-1:00 p.m.

Where:
Cal State L.A. University-Student Union, Alhambra and Los Angeles rooms. The University is located at the Eastern Avenue exit, San Bernardino (I-10) Fwy., at the interchange of 10 and 710 Fwys. Public permit dispenser parking available in Lots C, F and G, or the upper level of North Parking Structure II.

More:
The Neuroscience Club at Cal State L.A. is composed of biology, psychology and engineering majors. The purpose of the Neuroscience Club is to promote the awareness and understanding of neuroscience and related fields on the Cal State L.A. campus. Go to: www.csulabrains.org.

The National Kids Judge! Neuroscience Fairs Partnership is funding the event via a Science Education Drug Abuse Partnership Award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, an institute within the National Institutes of Health. The National Kids Judge! Partnership is directed by Deborah Colbern, Ph.D., president and scientific director of BEEMNET (Brain-Exchange Education & Mentorship Network).

The East Los Angeles Kids Judge! Fair is a model demonstration site for the Brain Awareness Week Partners in Education Program. Sponsors in this unique partnership of major institutions include: the American Academy of Neurology Education and Research Foundation, the Association of University Professors of Neurology, the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, the European Dana Alliance for the Brain, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and the Society for Neuroscience.

Info:
For more information, contact Sonsoles de Lacalle, faculty adviser, Cal State L.A. Neuroscience Club, at (323) 343-2039 or Deborah Colbern, director, National Kids Judge! Partnership at (310) 574-3742.

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