Brain Awareness Week Activities (1999)

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The Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center hosted fourth graders from Our Lady's School in Waltham, MA in observance of the 4th Annual National Brain Awareness Week. Ms. Maureen Begley's class enjoyed the nine different locations throughout the center where brain activities and demonstrations took place.

We would like to thank Darlene Butler, Deborah Smith, Christian Dibble, Eileen Mullen, Naira Ahmad, Christine Kostek, Carol Ann Hannan and Betsy Ross for volunteering as guides.

Mock Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Mr. Ben Wallace explains the "ins and outs" of this mock Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) machine, and how the scanner was built to help difficult-to test individuals adapt to the fMRI environment.

Robotics

During Dr. William McIlvane's presentation the students were able to investigate how robots move. They also learned that humans, like robots, have electrical impulses running throughout their body.

Electron Microscopy

Here the students look closely as Dr. Jim Crandall shows them how brains are sectioned very thinly by diamond knives and placed onto copper grids for observation in the electron microscope. Then, the students viewed the sections through the electron microscope at magnifications up to 100,000 times.

Animal Learning and Memory

At the animal research laboratory, Dr. Sheila Mihalick explained how scientists study animals to better understand how animals and humans learn.