Brain Awareness Week 2024 takes the neuroscience carried out at the University of Coimbra out of the laboratories

The Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology of the University of Coimbra (CNC-UC) and the Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), united by the Center for Innovation in Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB), will be promoting various activities during the month of March to mark Brain Awareness Week 2024. Theater, talks and games are some of the initiatives that will bring together various age groups to discover neuroscience through the research developed at the University of Coimbra (UC).

International Brain Week aims to show society the advances and scientific discoveries in the field of neuroscience, as well as promoting health literacy in the context of brain function.

"Brain Awareness Week has been an excellent opportunity for us to disseminate neuroscience to different audiences for over 25 years. This celebration has relied on the exceptional involvement of our neuroscientists who are challenged to communicate their science in the most varied contexts (schools, bars, radio, parks, buses, with exhibitions, in the theater, among others). It's an important time of year to convey to society the importance of neuroscience research, an area with a growing social impact these days," says the coordinator of the CNC-UC and CIBB Science Communication Office, Sara Varela Amaral. "By promoting meeting places between neuroscience and society, we believe that we are fostering society's enthusiasm and support for neuroscience research, as well as contributing to a society that is more knowledgeable and capable of making decisions based on neuroscience knowledge," adds the project coordinator.

The UC scientists, together with various partner organizations, will be promoting a number of face-to-face and online activities:

• Neuroscientists go to schools (throughout the month of March), with sessions promoted by neuroscientists for school audiences, associations and senior universities;
• Activities as part of the Brain Gain: Discovering Neuroscience initiative (March 6, 13, 20 and 27), aimed at higher education students, which aims to inspire higher education students to pursue careers in neuroscience;
• World Sleep Day celebrations (March 15 and 16), with round tables with experts and the launch of videos (illustrated by Cristina Sampaio and funded by the Resmed Foundation and Gasoxmed) on sleep at three national science centers: Planetário in Porto; UC-Exploratório in Coimbra; Pavilhão do Conhecimento in Lisbon;
• Celebrations of Bipolar Disorder Day (March 20-24), with the theater show Oxímoro, entre Solstícios e Equinócios, produced by the Marionet theater company, which will be on stage at the Convento São Francisco (Coimbra).

International Brain Week is an international initiative promoted annually by the Dana Foundation and the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies. In Portugal, it is promoted by the Portuguese Society of Neurosciences and Ciência Viva and for several years has involved research centers at the University of Coimbra.

See program bellow.

Catarina Ribeiro and CNC-UC