Brain Discovery: Bringing Scientists Into the Classroom

Most elementary-school students have never met a scientist. Claire Weichselbaum and Brian Lananna, graduate students in neuroscience at Washington University in St. Louis, want to change that. Last year, the team cofounded Brain Discovery, an outreach program that brings neuroscience into classrooms. Over the course of the 6-week program, kids get to know a "scientist buddy" and learn about the brain through fun experiments and activities. So far, volunteers with Brain Discovery have already reached some 250 students and spent over 1,500 hours in classrooms around St. Louis.