Brain Awareness “Week” Grows to Eight-Week Series of Events in the Triad

Brain Awareness Week, which is an international observance of the benefits and promise of brain research from March 14 to March 20, 2011, has grown in Winston-Salem to include several major activities throughout March and April, for participants of all ages and backgrounds.

This year’s events were kicked off last week with the annual Middle School Brain Awareness Day at Sciworks for public school students in the region, on March 2, 2011, which included ten brain demonstration stations. The event was attended by more than 250 students.

Brain Awareness Season events upcoming in Winston-Salem and Greensboro include:

The 4th Annual Brain Art Contest is now underway and the winning entries will be on display starting on March 19 at the Brain Power! Event at the Children's Museum. Entries are now being accepted and are due by March 16. The art will be exhibiting at other events from March 19 through April 28. A winners' reception will be held on March 29 at Targacept.
Speakers from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center will hold a Science Café – “Your Brain: 10 Myths Busted” on March 15 at 7 p.m. at Big Shotz Café.
"Brain Power! Family Fun with Neuroscience" will be held on March 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Children's Museum.
The Brain Injury Association of North Carolina's” 5th Annual Walk and Roll-a-thon” will be held at Bur-Mil Park in Greensboro on April 16, 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Presentations on "Careers in Neuroscience" will be held on April 21 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Targacept.
“Neuroscience and a Movie” will be held on April 25 at Big Shotz Café on Stratford Road, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Those who attend will have the opportunity to watch the movie "Always Looking Up", a feature film about Michael J. Fox, and engage in a panel discussion afterwards featuring speakers from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and Targacept. The topic of the evening is Parkinson’s disease.
“Music and the Brain: From Medical Applications to the Neuroscience of Song” Speakers from Wake Forest Baptist, Harvard, UNC-Chapel Hill and UNC-Greensboro will discuss their research on how music affects the brain and central nervous system. The presentation will be held at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center on April 26, 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
A Seminar by Targacept entitled “Alzheimer's Disease: From Tangles to Treatments” will be held on April 28 at the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art from 7 to 9 p.m.
A reception for the winners of the 4^th Annual Brain Art Contest will be held at Targacept on April 29 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Local organizers of these Brain Awareness events are Targacept, Inc., Wake Forest University’s Brain Awareness Council (a group of neurosciences graduate students), and neuroscience faculty at Wake Forest University’s Baptist Medical Center.

Brain Awareness Week, created by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives in partnership with the Society for Neuroscience, is an international partnership of government agencies, scientific organizations, universities, and volunteer groups. It includes more than 1,022 partner organizations in 47 countries.

"We are pleased to once again be working with the talented graduate students from Wake Forest University’s Brain Awareness Council on various Brain Awareness Season events, a relationship that has continued since 2006," said J. Donald deBethizy, Ph.D., Targacept's President and Chief Executive Officer. “As Targacept is striving to build health and restore independence for patients suffering from nervous system diseases and disorders, we are also interested in increasing awareness of these debilitating conditions and the impact they have on the community.”

Dwayne W. Godwin, Ph.D., professor of neurobiology and anatomy at Wake Forest University said, "Brain Awareness Season is a chance for researchers to connect with the public and to share the real benefits of science and research with the community. Wake Forest is a national leader in brain research and public engagement, and Brain Awareness Season is a special opportunity to share what we're learning in our university labs with the public - plus, its fun!"

Brain Awareness Activity Details

Winston-Salem, N.C.

March and April 2011

Organizers: Targacept, Inc., and Wake Forest University’s Brain Awareness Council

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4th Annual Brain Art Contest

Registration Required

Art contest: all entries is now underway. Themes: K-5: "My brain helps me by____"; 6-8: "Where is my brain now?"; 9-12: "Brain myths...busted!"

Contest Starts: 2011-02-18
Entries Due: 2011-03-16 by 5:00 PM
Address: 390 S. Liberty Street, Winston-Salem, NC
Venue Name: Children's Museum of Winston-Salem
Organizing
Institution(s): Wake Forest University’s Brain Awareness Council (WFUBAC),
Sponsoring
Institution(s): WFUBAC,CERTL, Targacept, and Children's Museum of Winston Salem
Contact Name: Melissa Riegle
Contact Phone: 336-716-4716
Contact E-mail: mriegle@wakehealth.edu
Website: http://graduate.wfu.edu/bac/index.html

Brain Power! Family Fun with Neuroscience

No Registration Required

Age-appropriate brain themed stations will be operated by our volunteers throughout the museum. Touch a human brain! Compare the difference between a rat and pig brain! Learn how your brain changes and more! For non-members, museum admission is $7 for adults and children over age 1. $6 for seniors and free for children under 1. Members free. For more info visit the website: http://www.childrensmuseumofws.org/ or call the museum at 336-723-9111.

Event Starts: 2011-03-19 10:00 AM
Event Ends: 2011-03-19 02:00 PM
Address: 390 S. Liberty Street, Winston-Salem, NC
Venue Name: Children's Museum of Winston-Salem
Organizing
Institution(s): WFBMC, Targacept
Sponsoring
Institution(s): WFBMC, Targacept, Children’s Museum of Winston-Salem
Contact Name: Melissa Riegle
Contact Phone: 336-716-4716
Contact E-mail: mriegle@wakehealth.edu
Website: http://graduate.wfu.edu/bac/index.html

BIANC Walk and Roll-a-thon for Brain Injury Prevention

Registration Required

The Brain Injury Association of North Carolina (BIANC) will be hosting their 5th Annual “Walk & Rollathon” at Bur-Mill Park in Greensboro, NC to raise money to benefit people with brain injury and their families. Contact Team Leader, Katie Martucci, kmartucc@wakehealth.edu, to join the WNCSfN/BAC/Targacept team or to make a donation. Registration is $20 per person, and everyone receives an event t-shirt and lunch following the walk. There are also raffles and speakers to make this a fun and informative event.

Event Starts: 2011-04-16 09:30 AM
Event Ends: 2011-04-16 01:00 PM
Address: 5843 Bur-Mill Club Road, Greensboro, NC
Venue Name: Bur-Mill Park
Organizing
Institution(s): BIANC
Sponsoring
Institution(s): WFUBAC team, WNCSfN, Targacept
Contact Name: Melissa Riegle
Contact Phone: 336-716-4716
Contact E-mail: mriegle@wakehealth.edu
Website: http://graduate.wfu.edu/bac/index.html

Careers in Neuroscience

Registration Required

Targacept invites students and professors from the Triad-area universities, and interested others, to hear an overview of careers in neuroscience and the world of biopharmaceutical development, and to tour Targacept's offices and labs. Registration required by April 19, 2011. Four tours will be offered throughout the day, two in the morning and two in the afternoon. Free admission and free parking. Contact Debra Perret at 336-480-2226, or debra.perret@targacept.com

Event Starts: 2011-04-21 09:00 AM
Event Ends: 2011-04-21 03:00 PM
Address: 200 E 1st Street, Suite 300, Winston-Salem, NC
Venue Name: Targacept
Organizing
Institution(s): Targacept
Sponsoring
Institution(s): Targacept
Contact Name: Debra Perret
Contact Phone: 336-480-2226
Contact E-mail: debra.perret@targacept.com
Website: www.targacept.com

Neuroscience and a Movie

No Registration Required

Plan to attend the next Neuroscience and a Movie event on April 25 at Big Shotz Tavern at 6:30 p.m. The topic for this month's discussion is Parkinson's disease (PD). Those who attend will have the opportunity to watch the movie "Always Looking Up", a feature about Michael J Fox, and engage in a panel discussion afterwards featuring speakers from WFBMC and Targacept that work in the PD field.

Event Starts: 2011-04-25 06:30 PM
Event Ends: 2011-04-25 08:30 PM
Address: 109 S. Stratford Road, Winston-Salem, NC
Venue Name: Big Shotz
Institution(s): WFUBAC
Sponsoring
Institution(s): DABI, Targacept, WFUBAC
Contact Name: Melissa Riegle
Contact Phone: 336-716-4716
Contact E-mail: mriegle@wakehealth.edu
Website: http://graduate.wfu.edu/bac/index.html

WNCSfN Annual Spring Symposium: "Music and the Brain: From Medical Applications to the Neuroscience of Song"

Registration Required

The WNCSfN is proud to announce the topic for this year's Annual Spring Neuroscience Symposium,“Music and the Brain: From Medical Applications to the Neuroscience of Song.”The speakers include Gottfried Schlaug, MD/PhD (Director of the Music and Imaging Lab at Harvard Medical School); Don Hodges, PhD (Director of the Music Research Institute at UNCG); Jonathan Burdette, MD (Professor in the Dept. of Radiology at WFSM); Patricia Gray, DMA (Professor at the Music Research Institute at UNCG).

Event Starts: 2011-04-26 12:00 PM
Event Ends: 2011-04-26 03:30 PM
Address: Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem
Venue Name: WFU Bowman Gray Campus (Hanes 1064), Winston-Salem, NC
Institution(s): Wake Forest University
Sponsoring
Institution(s): WNCSfN, Targacept, WFUBAC
Contact Name: Melissa Riegle
Contact Phone: 336-716-4716
Contact E-mail: mriegle@wakehealth.edu
Website: http://graduate.wfu.edu/bac/index.html

Targacept Symposium: Alzheimer’s Disease—From Tangles to Treatment

Registration Requested

Come out for an evening of discussion about Alzheimer's disease (AD), hosted by Targacept, where scientists from the region reach out to community members to provide information about AD and ways to cope with and treat this disease. Expert panelists from Duke University Medical Center, Targacept and Wake Forest University’s Baptist Medical Center will speak and then take questions from the audience Dessert and beverages will be provided.

Event Starts: 2011-04-28 07:00 PM
Event Ends: 2011-04-28 09:00 PM
Address: 750 Marguerite Drive, Winston-Salem, NC 27106
Venue Name: The Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA)
Institution(s): Targacept
Sponsoring
Institution(s): Targacept, WFUBAC, WFU School of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center
Contact: Jo Peay
Contact Phone: 336-480-2102
Contact E-mail: jo.peay@targacept.com
Website: www.targacept.com

4th Annual Brain Art Contest Winners’ Reception

Targacept, WFBMC’s Brain Awareness Council (BAC), and CERTL will honor the winners of the 4th Annual Brain Art Contest at a reception in Targacept, 200 E. First Street, Winston-Salem, NC, in the Atrium Lobby from 3:30 to 4:30 pm on Friday, April 29, 2011. The winners, their families and teachers will be our guests and certificates and prized will be given to the winners. Winning entries will be on display. The public and the media are invited to attend. Please RSVP to Debra Perret, Communications Coordinator, Targacept, 336-480-2226 or debra.perret@targacept.com, by April 27, 2011. This event is sponsored by Targacept and WFUBAC.

Media Relations

Lisa Davanzo: news@wakehealth.edu, 336-713-4587

Chad Campbell: news@wakehealth.edu, 336-713-4587