4th annual Brain Awareness Day will take place at public library March 29

March 21, 2008 -- The ASU Society for Neuroscience will celebrate the 4^th annual Brain Awareness Day at the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library on Saturday, March 29, from 12 noon to 3 p.m. Dr. Shivan Haran, Dr. Amy Pearce, and Dr.Malathi Srivatsan will offer demonstrations and provide displays to help explain brain function, joined by members of ASU’s student chapter of the Society for Neuroscience. The event is free and open to the public, and door prizes will be awarded.

According to the event organizers, it will be a kid-friendly, fun, and informative event for the entire family, illustrating how our senses and brain functions work together in our everyday life. ASU neuroscientists and students will be on hand to provide information about normal brain functions and neurological disorders. Attendees can participate in more than 20 different activity stations, such as making brains and nerve cells out of modeling materials, testing reaction time, and more. Popular local entertainer Chippy Kazoo will again be on hand to offer juggling lessons to participants.

Dr. Pearce says, "Even before we see a pizza, we are able to tell that there is one in the room. Even in darkness, after a few minutes of stumbling, we can detect at least the outline of objects. Though we may not see a car coming, we are able to tell the direction it's approaching from by the sounds we hear. How do we manage such amazing things? These everyday miracles are possible because of the way special sense organs like our eyes, ears, and nose connect and work with the brain. Without these miracles, normal life for us will be unimaginable.  Isn’t it important we learn how these work in our body?"

In addition to the demonstrations and activities, there will be a special presentation by Dr. Vijay Varadan, holder of the Twenty-First Century Endowed Chair in Nano- and Biotechnologies and Medicine. Varadan also holds the title of Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, and is professor of neurosurgery in the College of Medicine, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. Dr. Varadan will present a public lecture, “Bioengineering, Nanotechnology and their Promising Solutions to Neurological Disorders,” which will include movie clips showing how these solutions work for patients. This lecture at the library runs from 1-2 p.m.

The Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library is located at 315 West Oak near downtown Jonesboro. Free parking is available. For more information, contact Dr. Amy Pearce at (870) 972-3283, or Dr. Malathi Srivatsan at (870) 972-3082.

###