BioBus

This grant will continue to support BioBus’ large-scale public event on neuroscience, art, and society on 125th Street in Harlem during Brain Awareness Week 2024. The event engaged community members in discussions, interactive exhibits and performances by experts to explore art and movement as therapy for brain-related disorders.

Dana Foundation support has made BioBus a staple of New York City’s annual Brain Awareness Week celebration, allowing their staff scientists and volunteers from local universities to bring neuroscience out of the lab and into the community. BioBus’ high-tech mobile and community laboratories provide students and the community at large with intimate access to scientists and research experiences in low-pressure, high-engagement settings. BioBus partners with the Greater NYC Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience (braiNY) each year, recruiting scientists from Columbia University, New York University, RockEDU Science Outreach, Mount Sinai, and City  College, among others, to participate.

This event provided a unique opportunity for Harlem community members to engage in conversations and activities with scientists about art and movement as therapy for brain-related disorders as well as learn how neuroscience relates to their own experiences and larger, societal issues. Gregory Youdan discussed how dance can be an effective therapy for Parkinson’s disease and led a Chair Dance class that demonstrated the techniques used with patients. Other activities included a presentation and demonstration of art as therapy for headache, a yoga class, experiments exploring smell and taste, brainy arts and crafts, and the opportunity to see real brain specimens.

This grant supports the Dana Education objective to support sustained informal education that aims to strengthen knowledge of neuroscience and its connections to society and empower people of all ages to use that knowledge in their every day lives.