Volunteers
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Who Are Our Volunteers?
Volunteers range in age from 16 to 80, with a passion for learning and sharing information about the amazing brain. They are students, parents, and professionals. There were1,621 Volunteer Hours Logged in 2023.
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What Do Volunteers Do?
Volunteers lead neuroscience activities at events and provide lessons about the brain to people of all ages. The Foundation hosts a volunteer orientation session in the fall and a volunteer appreciation celebration in the spring. Volunteers are welcome to apply any time of the year and training will be offered at the events by seasoned volunteers. We are open to volunteers’ suggestions for new neuroscience activities and educational presentations.
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What are the Benefits of Volunteering?
Our volunteers share in the awesome experience of bringing knowledge about the brain to the public. They interact with and educate people of all ages and diverse populations. An additional benefit for college students is the opportunity to share the cutting-edge information they are learning about the brain. They clearly enjoy supporting and encouraging each other. We also work with graduate students, knowing that involvement in neuroscience outreach early in their careers usually translates to ongoing, and much needed, outreach as well as engagement in policy-making after they become professionals.
What Volunteers Are Saying
Vivianna Pederson
“It's important to me that science should be accessible to all and, as a college student studying Neuroscience, volunteering with the brain bus gives me the opportunity to share the knowledge I learn in class with my community. The activities challenge me to understand ways to explain the complexities of our brain to people in every stage of life, from toddler to older adults. It's always fun being able to share this experience with fellow volunteers, peers, and mentors who are as fascinated in the brain as I am”
Sienna Hays
“Thank you for welcoming me to the Brain Bus. I am so grateful for this opportunity to meet students, neurologists, and neuroscientists. Getting to meet so many different kinds of people and teach them all about their brains has been so interesting. I loved working with all the little kids and seeing how excited they got. I’ve enjoyed the experience so much and am excited to continue working with the group when I attend the University of Arizona in the fall, where I plan to major in psychology and minor in neuroscience.”