Good memories are made at summer camps for lots of kids, but this camp is a little different. Instead of canoeing and fishing and bunking in log cabins, these campers get to learn about the hippocampus, neuroscience research and they even throw in a little Play-doh time, just for fun. Funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, the University of Delaware hosts the Summer Workshop in Cognitive and Brain Sciences. College undergrads from around the country come to UD to learn about careers in neuroscience. The program gets over 500 applicants for just 15 spots. The two weeks spent at the Delaware campus includes instruction in DNA methylation, MRI technology and even has the chance to undergo an MRI scan and map their own brains.
Out of the fifteen campers, three will stay on past the two weeks, for a ten-week internship under the direction of a UD faculty mentor. The professors that are part t of the program believe it's essential to getting more students engaged in neuroscience research, which can be daunting to some. The "Brain Camp" makes it fun, accessible and something that could attract students to explore the study of neuroscience.
