Outreach Activities
Educational Materials
We have created a collection of videos to keep you informed about topics including sleep, memory, cognitive aging, and brain health. We also have compiled the scientific posters that were presented at our 3rd annual Intergenerational Science Social, held on the Boston College campus in May 2022.
2022 Intergenerational Science Social
We were fortunate to be able to welcome members of the community back to campus in May 2022 for our third annual (and second in-person) Intergenerational Science Social. We thank the students in Prof. Jaclyn Ford’s class, PSYC3374 Psychology and Neuroscience of Cognitive Aging, for presenting informative posters on the topics they had researched throughout their semester. You can view these posters below. We also thank the members of the Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience laboratory for giving demonstrations of scientific equipment and answering questions about the methods we use in our research. We gratefully acknowledge the funding we received from the National Science Foundation to make this event possible.
Events for Adults and Teens
The CANLab offers presentations on psychology and neuroscience, tailored to any age group. Presentations typically range from 30-60 minutes and can follow a lecture, seminar, or Q&A format. We can discuss topics such as: the aging brain, the life of a scientist, how memory works, the representation of memory in literature and film, neuroanatomy, neuroimaging, and psychology research methods. We welcome the opportunity to present in venues such as senior centers, lifetime learning classes, and afterschool programs.
High School Internship
Each summer, the CANLab welcomes one talented high school student to join our laboratory as a volunteer intern. The student has the opportunity to participate in all aspects of our research. Please contact us if you are an interested student or a parent or teacher who recommends a student for this research opportunity. Students must be at least 16 years of age and must be able to get themselves to and from the Boston College campus (We are accessible via T). Please contact us by February of the year in which you are interested in a summer internship.
Events for Children
We offer hands-on activities to help younger children learn about the brain and about specific cognitive abilities. Examples include building model brains out of playdough, using an egg-drop to demonstrate the importance of head protection, or playing "pin the spinal cord on the brain."We also invite tours of our laboratory for students who are interested in learning more about how scientific research studies are conducted.
Memory4Kids Blog
Prof. Kensinger and her daughter write a blog on memory. They focus on answering kids’ questions about memory, and kids-at-heart can learn something as well — find out more about your pet’s memory, about why sleep is important for memory, and about what goes wrong when you forget where you put your phone.
Brain Awareness Week activities
Brain Awareness Week is an international campaign dedicated to advancing public awareness about the progress and benefits of brain research. The CANLab is proud to work with other laboratories at Boston College to participate in this initiative.