Baylor University

This grant supports Baylor University’s NeuroCase Chronicles, a standalone, immersive classroom curriculum for middle school students. NeuroCase Chronicles is designed to engage learners in new discovery-oriented educational experiences and delves into the transdisciplinary nature of neuroscience, highlighting the role neuroscience plays in society and building STEM competencies while engaging students in emerging neuroscience topics such as brain-computer interfaces and AI, neurodiversity, and neuromodulation. 

Across three Baylor-affiliated middle school campuses, Baylor delivers their new in-person curriculum reaching over 270 sixth-grade students. Introduced as a semester-long required course following a semester-long foundational neuroscience curriculum, each unit lasting 3-4 weeks each features a case study or real-life scenario aligned with emerging topics in neuroscience such as (1) neuroscience as the underlying basis for artificial intelligence; (2) neuromodulation as a mechanism to address mental illnesses; (3) ethical, legal and societal implications (ELSI) and policy issues on topics like brain modulation, cognitive enhancement and data sharing; (4) neurodiversity; and (5) brain-computer interface technologies in health care. Students have a unique opportunity to learn about the importance of trust in scientific research, informed consent, patient-doctor relationships, and the ethical use and storage of participant/patient data, culminating in a community engagement capstone. 

Baylor provides two full-day in-person professional development trainings prior to the start of the semester for the middle school educators who pilot the curriculum. These sessions focus on building teachers’ background knowledge and providing specific tips and guidance on the activities in the curriculum. The complete, freely available online, NeuroCase Chronicles curriculum includes a detailed teacher guide with background content for the educator, a walkthrough of activities, and individual standards-aligned lessons with an overview among many other helpful resources. 

This grant supports the Dana Education objective to engage K-12 students in learning about neuroscience and its relevance to society through structured education opportunities (formal and non-formal) that integrate relevant, real-world topics and issues to capture their interest and inspire continued study. 

This grant also supports the Dana Education objective to facilitate greater understanding and informed decision-making among professionals by supporting new education approaches on neuroscience topics related to their practice.