Outreach

Roosevelt High School
In April, students from the Diversity in Science Collective (DISC) hosted 26 students from Roosevelt for a visit to the Macalester campus. The Roosevelt students talked with Macalester DISC students, toured the science labs, talked with faculty, and met with representatives from the Department of Multicultural Life. The Roosevelt students were from the Health Careers Program at Roosevelt. The Program prepares students for their post-graduate goals of a career in health care. Macalester senior Annie Schulein-Fournier was a program assistant for the Health Careers Program during the spring semester.

Click here to see photos of the event.

Brain Awareness
This information is from the University of Minnesota Department of Neuroscience website. "Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is an international initiative begun by the Society of Neuroscience and the Dana Alliance in 1996 to further the public's understanding of Neuroscience. The Brain Awareness Week program is a collaborative effort between private schools, research institutions and health organizations across the country.

The University of Minnesota Twin Cities and The University of Minnesota Duluth School of Medicine have been active partners in this effort since 1996 and have developed one of the most visible programs in the country. Neuroscience Faculty, Students from the Graduate Program in Neuroscience, U of MN affiliated staff and faculty and staff from MACALESTER COLLEGE in St. Paul volunteer their time to make this event happen. The focus in Minnesota has been on reaching fourth through sixth grade school children in the Seven County Metro area and greater Minnesota and teaching them about the brain and the nervous system." (http://www.neuroscience.umn.edu/baw/home.html)

Professors Liz Jansen and Lin Aanonsen have been part of the Brain Awareness program since its inception. This year Professors Jansen and Aanonsen and seven Macalester students created a presentation for a 5th grade classroom at a public school in Columbia Heights. In April, the group presented information about the brain and also conducted several interactive lab exercises with the students. The Mac group visited a total of six classrooms of 4th and 5th grade students (approximately 150 students) during the three and a half hours they were at the school. The students were excited to meet the Macalester group and were very interested in the information that was presented. Time will tell how many furture scientists were encouraged that day!

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Comments and questions to toohey@macalester.edu