The Girl Scouts coming to UB was a new event held by the Neuroscience GSA this year. There were approximately 40 Girl Scouts and parents that attended this event. The girls varied in ages and included a mix from elementary to high school. The stations that the students from the Neuro GSA had set up were similar to the Brain Awareness week activities. The girls got a tour of the brain museum. Then we had various stations set up that the girls rotated through, which included anatomy (in which they got to see and touch a real human brain), microscopy of various slides, touch and reflex, and scent/hearing/taste. The last section included interactive presentations on vision, cognition, and graduate school and careers in science.

The girls’ parents and neuroscience students also had a great chance to communicate about the experience of getting into and attending graduate school as well as what they study and what the various job opportunities are in academia and outside of it. It was a great opportunity to interact with the girls and find out about their interests.

At the end the students from the Neuroscience GSA had lunch with the Girl Scouts and their parents. They discussed more direct ways of how to get into graduate school and the parents raised lots of questions. They were already discussing setting a date to come back next year. These events are really great opportunities for the neuroscience graduate students to get to interact and teach students about what we do and to get them excited about science.