University of California, Irvine,
Center for the Neurobiology of
Learning and Memory (UC Irvine)

This grant supported UC Irvine’s LEARNMEM2023 Frontiers for Young Minds (FYM) Live Review at the International Conference on Learning and Memory. This unique event enabled children and scientists to work together to co-create scientific journal articles that are accessible and exciting to younger audiences.

FYM is a nonprofit journal that publishes scientific articles written by scientists for young readers and engages children in the review process. Children work with graduate student mentors to evaluate the articles, provide feedback to the authors, and accept or reject the manuscripts for publication. The LEARNMEM2023 Live Review brought this experience to the stage in front of a live audience.

UC Irvine recruited student reviewers from a Title 1 school to ensure that a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives informed the review process and created accessible and appealing articles. Through dialogue with the students, scientists learned from their diverse voices and incorporated that knowledge into their work. By selecting children from underrepresented communities and engaging them in the scientific process, this activity had the potential to shape their attitudes about science and science careers.

UC Irvine evaluated the impact of this novel activity and will disseminate information about its structure and outcomes. The goal is for the live review to become a new engagement model for bridging neuroscience and society.

This grant supported 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 capture their interest and inspire continued study.