Brain Awareness Video Project

Help your students create videos about the brain and nervous system.

Synopsis

Students will work individually or in a group to research a neuroscience topic in order to create an original 5 minute informational video. This project is based on BrainFacts.org’s Brain Awareness Video Contest.

Objectives

At the end of this activity students will:

• Be able to present their neuroscience topic clearly and concisely to a lay audience
• Be eligible to enter BrainFact.org’s Brain Awareness Video Contest
• Possess a better understanding on how to research a scientific topic

Teacher Background

The Brain Awareness Video Contest was started by the Society for Neuroscience in 2011 to encourage the production of brief, creative, and educational videos about the brain that could be used as teaching tools for the general public.

Each year the Society for Neuroscience receives dozens of videos about a variety of neuroscience topics. A panel of judges watches and scores each video based on scientific accuracy, educational value, and creativity. The author of the winning video receives $1,000 plus travel, two-nights lodging, and registration to the Society’s annual meeting. The top three videos receive cash prizes, and the top ten videos are posted on BrainFacts.org.

Students will have to research a neuroscience topic of their choosing, create a unique video that can explain their topic to anyone, and work with a neuroscientist to check that their script and video are scientifically accurate.

In order to enter the contest, each author must work with a neuroscientist who is a member of the Society. Through the Find A Neuroscientist program, students can work with a neuroscientist remotely via email, skype, phone, etc.

This project can be done over the course of one semester or over a whole year. If students are interested in submitting their video to the Brain Awareness Video Contest after the class project is over, they can do so in June.

Integration into the Curriculum

• Health
• Biology, AP Biology 
• Anatomy and Physiology
• Fine Arts

Materials Needed

• Student Sheet Download

PDF file, 304KB

• Storyboards Download

PDF file, 91KB

• Rubric Download

PDF file, 217KB

• Educator Scoring Sheet Download

PDF file, 278KB

• Timeline Download

PDF file, 304KB

About the Author

Emma Lindberg

Emma is the former Outreach Associate at the Society for Neuroscience. She helped find and create Educator Resources for BrainFacts.org, as well as promote the site at conferences and events across the country.