Expand your mind with Explore-At-Bristol

Boy with a brain David Pratt

Press release issued: 10 March 2008

We all know we have a brain, but do we really understand the incredible things it does? Delve into DNA and find out exactly how grey matter works during Brain Awareness Week (Tuesday 11 to Friday 14 March), when Explore-At-Bristol joins forces with the University’s Bristol Neuroscience (BN) team to get really brainy.

We all know we have a brain, but do we really understand the incredible things it does? You can delve into DNA and find out exactly how grey matter works from Tuesday 11 to Friday 14 March when Explore-At-Bristol joins forces with the University’s Bristol Neuroscience (BN) team to get really brainy.

To celebrate International Brain Awareness Week, stop off at the Inside DNA exhibition and meet up with more than 30 scientists from the University who will be wowing everyone with a wealth of information about the human brain. They will reveal how it works, what happens when it doesn’t and just what they are doing to find out more about it.

Dr Anne Cooke, neuroscience research facilitator and communications manager for BN, said:

‘Taking brain science to a wider audience is an essential part of being a neuroscientist. Running events for Brain Awareness Week in partnership with Explore-At-Bristol represents a wonderful opportunity for Bristol Neuroscience to meet members of the public – of all ages – and introduce them to the endlessly fascinating science of the brain.’

All week there will be opportunities to get stuck into some brainy activities. Try getting touchy feely to measure just how sensitive you are, or have a go at building pipe-cleaner neurons to communicate with a whole network of cells or even investigate how big your brain is and how it develops.

If that’s not enough and you want to push your brain cells even harder, take a trip around the exhibition to find out all about your health, identity and ancestry, and discover the effect cutting-edge genomic research will have on us all.

All these mind-blowing activities are free with an admission ticket to Explore. Tickets are £9.00 for adults, £6.50 for children and concessions, and a family ticket (2 adults and 2 children) costs £26. Explore is open 10am–5pm Monday to Friday and 10am– 6pm at weekends. Last entry is one hour before closing. For more information, visit Explore-At-Bristol or call 0845 345 1235.

Further information

Press enquiries to Sonja Taylor-Jones on 07956 503478, press@at-bristol.org.uk.
At-Bristol is a leading science centre in the UK and a major player in the worldwide science centre movement. It aims to be a world-class science centre that makes distinctive, valued and recognised contributions to informal science learning and public engagement with science across Europe. A registered charity, At-Bristol has hosted more than three million visits and continually strives towards making science accessible to all.
Neuroscience is a key area of research at the University and the city of Bristol has one of the largest concentrations of researchers engaged in neuroscience in the UK, many of whom are internationally recognised. Bristol Neuroscience (BN) enables all neuroscientists working in Bristol – both within the University and partner hospitals across the city – to make full use of all available resources and expertise. BN runs numerous activities to encourage the dissemination of ideas, to create opportunities for interdisciplinary research, and to facilitate the pursuit of neuroscience to the highest possible standard. The events it is running at Explore-At-Bristol are thanks to a grant from the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS). For further information about BN, email Dr Anne Cooke, b-n@bristol.ac.uk.