CNC

Overview

Project Summary

Conscious of the barriers between scientists and society, Catarina Seabra & Mariana Laranjo created the project “Brain Gain - Discovering Neuroscience” in 2020, to develop open-access education outreach events targeting higher education students.

Brain Gain's mission is to: i) democratize access to neuroscience research; ii) highlight the excellent research developed in Portugal; iii) inspire students to pursue neuroscience-related careers (i.e. “brain gain”); iv) create openly available resources.

In the online events, we approach neurosciences from different points of view. Science professionals from all over the country are invited to promote an exchange of ideas with the audience. Once a week, for each theme, there are presentations and debates by the guests, in Portuguese. At the end, we share live quizzes and the winners are awarded a 1-year Portuguese Society for Neurosciences (SPN) membership.

In 2022 we added the “The Brain Challenge” - a pitch competition where we challenged students to present a discovery that has inspired them, while connecting them with the network of neuroscientists in Portugal, through our partner SPN. We offered pitch preparation workshops on science communication to stimulate critical thinking and build their science communication skills.

More initiatives are coming soon! Visit the Brain Gain website.