BrainWaves: The Neuroscience Graduate Program Newsletter

Get ready, It’s time to go Out of Our MiNDS!

AUTHOR: John Krzeczkowski

Looking for an exciting volunteer opportunity? Check this article out for opportunities to get out into the community and share your knowledge and passion for science!


After a summer of hard work in the lab, are you looking for an opportunity to set aside the petri dishes, put down your beakers, save your syntax, and take your passion for neuroscience out into the community?


If so, the Out of Our Minds team is gearing up for another exciting year of delivering our interactive neuroscience workshops to high school students, and we need your help to make it the best year yet!


Last year, the Out of Our Minds team visited 16 biology and science classes, delivering our program to over 320 students in the Hamilton area. Since every teacher invited us back (and even more have contacted us to visit their schools), this year is shaping up to be even more exciting!

As an Out of Our MiNDS volunteer, you'll get to lead interactive workshops that include using a real sheep brain to teach students neuroanatomy, identifying the lobes of the brain and highlighting their functions. You will also lead students through viewing slides of the retina and cerebellum with a microscope or make cricket legs move using music (or “beats” as the young kids say) to demonstrate how neurons use electricity to communicate. Leading these workshops is not only fun, but they help you develop valuable knowledge translation skills by explaining the fundamentals of neuroscience in a way that everyone can understand.


If you are interested in volunteering, learning more about the program and our workshops or you would like to ask questions about all the ways that you can get involved, contact us at outofourmindsoutreach@gmail.com!