"The Brain Society": The First Two Years of an Undergraduate Neuroscience Society in Northern Ireland

Abstract

The Queen's University Belfast Brain Society was set up in September 2018 to promote interest in the human brain. There were three main goals: firstly to provide opportunities for medical students to learn from neurologists and neurosurgeons outside their formal curriculum; secondly the Brain Society aimed to organise events that included students from other disciplines and to members of the general public who were interested in learning about aspects of neuroscience; thirdly to tackle neurophobia. In the last two years, there have been 14 events, ranging from formal lectures, to practical sessions and to patient-focused information evenings. We have sold over 1,600 tickets. This article covers how the Brain Society was set up, to inform students in other universities about the Belfast experience.

Figure 1

Brain Society 2018-2019 Committee members at MS event. Back row - (Maran Fearon, Peter Rogan, Caitlin O’Callaghan and Ger Mullan), Marian Mawhinney (MS Society representative), Dr Gavin McDonnell, Dr Stella Hughes and Dr Stanley Hawkins (Belfast Trust). Front row - Sean O’Callaghan and Anna Magennis (MS speakers) and David Lee (President)

Figure 2

Medical students demonstrating neurosurgical skill

Figure 3

Advertising poster for the event on Evolution of Human Consciousness

Figure 4

Pie chart showing the spectrum of disciplines attending our ‘What is the Brain to you? event

Figure 5

Brain Society Committee 2019-2020 – Caitlin O’Callaghan, Naairah Khan, Peter Rogan, Nikita Tokarev, Sarah Collis, Maran Fearon, Ger Mullan, Hannah Kerr, Michael McLarnon, Sabina Pogoson and David Lee with Dr Stanley Hawkins at Dr Ropper’s event