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UT Brainstorms: A Conversation on the Brain is a public outreach program sponsored by the Department of Neuroscience at UT Austin. The purpose of UT Brainstorms is to connect with the Austin community, and ultimately with the Texas community, to inform and educate about neuroscience research and the influences it has on our daily lives. We seek a two-way conversation where we share our expertise about the brain and we listen to what it means in people’s lives and to the challenges they face as it relates to the brain. We believe that one component of a world-class neuroscience program is connecting effectively and productively with the community in which it exists.
The format of UT Brainstorms is designed to foster communication. It is a free monthly event, held on the UT Austin campus on Saturday afternoons or Thursday evenings, with a format that includes a 35-40 minute presentation by a UT faculty member followed by an hour of questions and answers with the speaker and a small panel of experts. We also record these sessions and post the videos on our YouTube channel.
The Need
Our 2017-18 season had nine Brainstorm sessions, and these events have exceeded all expectations in terms of attendance and success. Each has reached or exceeded capacity of the Thompson Conference Center (TCC) auditorium (210 seating, with an additional 30 standing room). Our goal for next season is to move to a larger venue (the Lady Bird Johnson auditorium) which is over four times larger. If we are successful with our Hornraiser campaign, the donations will allow us to reach a much larger audience. We are asking all of our supporters to help us raise $15,000 by October 5th. Will you help us accomplish this goal?
The Future
Holding the 2018-19 UT Brainstorms series at the Lady Bird Johnson auditorium would allow us to reach over 900 members of the community at each session! We would have the opportunity to educate over four times as many people about neuroscience research, and how it helps real people in their lives.
Below is the 2018-19 UT Brainstorms Schedule - make a gift today to support this free public outreach program.
Saturday, September 29, 2018; 3:30-5:00pm
Thursday, October 18, 2018; 7:00-8:30PM
Saturday, November 10, 2018; 3:30-5:00pm
Thursday, December 13, 2018; 7:00-8:30PM
Saturday, January 19, 2019; 3:30-5:00pm
Thursday, February 21, 2019; 7:00-8:30PM
Saturday, March 23, 2019; 3:30-5:00pm
Thursday, April 18, 2019; 7:00-8:30PM
Thursday, May 23, 2019; 7:00-8:30PM
Be Part of the Conversation
We believe programs like Brainstorms are fundamentally important for UT and the greater Austin community. They connect us to our neighbors and to people whose lives can be enriched by a better understanding of the science going on at UT – especially how it can affect their own day to day lives. The presenting faculty benefit greatly, as they learn how their work affects people and about the neuroscience related issues that operate in the real world. And they are greatly motivated by this better understanding. UT Brainstorms is a way to educate, communicate and even to attract support from potential partners. It is also a great way to reach out to young people, to inform and to motivate them that science is real, interesting, important and within their reach as a possible career. These are among the many reasons why we are passionate about Brainstorms and why we think it benefits both UT and the Austin community. We hope soon to expand scope and to hold occasional Brainstorms events in other Texas cities, with all of the same excitement and potential benefits.
Thank you for making UT Brainstorms possible through your generosity!
On September 16, 2017, Dr. Michael Mauk kicked off the UT Brainstorms series with "The Forgetting Brain, A Conversation about Memory, Alzheimer's, and Other Memory Disorders." The Mauk lab investigates information processing and learning in the cerebellum and prefrontal cortex. Your gift will allow us to bring research like this to a wider audience.
On October 14, 2017, Dr. Audrey Brumback gave a UT Brainstorms presentation on "The Miswired Brain, A Conversation about Autism." The Brumback lab uses a diverse array of approaches such as optogenetics, calcium imaging, behavioral assays, and patch clamp electrophysiology to understand how the brain’s circuitry is disrupted in disorders like autism. With your gift, we can continue to have discussions like this with the community.
On November 9, 2017, Dr. Alexander Huth presented on "The Eloquent Brain, A Conversation about Language and Thought" for UT Brainstorms. The Huth lab uses quantitative, computational methods to try to understand how the human brain processes the natural world. In particular, they are focused on understanding how the meaning of language is represented in the brain. Your contribution will enable us to share more neuroscience research like this that influences our daily lives.
On January 27, 2018, Dr. Robert Messing presented at UT Brainstorms on "The Addicted Brain, A Conversation about Alcohol and Drug Addiction." Researchers in the Messing Lab study molecular and circuit neuroadaptations to drugs of abuse that contribute to addiction and to co-morbid disorders such as anxiety and pain. The overall goal is to identify drug targets and strategies that could lead to new treatments. Your gift will bring important research such as this to a much wider audience.
On February 15, 2018, Dr. Michael Drew spoke at UT Brainstorms about "The Frightened Brain, A Conversation about Fear and Anxiety." The major aim of the Drew lab is to understand how the brain forms memories of our experiences, how these memories are retrieved at the right time and place, and how these memories can be suppressed. Your contribution will allow us to continue presenting this type of research to our community.
