Brainy Days
Brainy Days celebrates neuroscience with events throughout the month of March to educate and engage the community about the benefits of brain research.
Every year, the Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute hosts "Brainy Days" during the month of March. It is celebration of neuroscience that features free community lectures hosted by many of our researchers and community partners that are committed to promoting brain wellness and reducing the stigma associated with brain disorders.
“Brainy Days” exemplifies Florida Atlantic’s commitment to providing the community with the knowledge needed to maintain brain health and lower one’s risk for brain diseases. Our scientists are committed to conducting world-class research, developing cutting-edge technologies, and training the next generation of neuroscientists.
2025
| Dates | Event | Speaker/Host | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon., March 3
Lectures 5-6:30 p.m. VIP Donor Reception 6:30-7:30 |
The Power of the Arts and Science for Resiliency in Aging
Register |
Mind, Music, Movement Foundation | Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Florida Atlantic University |
| Mon., March 10
Doors open 7 p.m. Lecture 7:30-8:30 p.m. reception 8:30-9 p.m. |
Origins and Treatments of Alzheimer's Disease
Register |
Professor Sir John Hardy, Ph.D., MD(Hons), DSc AEu FMedSci FRS, Chair of Molecular Biology of Neurological Disease UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology
Hosted by Corinne Lasmezas, Ph.D., Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute |
Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute Florida Atlantic MacArthur Campus, Jupiter |
| Wed., March 12 - Thursday March 13 | MindFest 2025
Register |
Florida Atlantic University Center for the Future Mind | Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton Campus |
| Sat., March 15
10 a.m.- 1 p.m. |
BrainSparks! | NeuroSquad In partnership with the Cox Science Center and Aquarium, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience and the Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute | Cox Science Center and Aquarium 4801 Dreher Trail N., West Palm Beach |
| Tue., March 18
Lecture 6-7 p.m. Reception 7-8 p.m. |
Pain in the Brain: A drink a day could bring more than you bargain
Register |
Michael D. Burton, Ph.D., Eugene McDermott Distinguished Professor, Associate professor Department of Neuroscience University of Texas Dallas, Center for Advanced Pain Studies founding member
Host Ning Quan, Ph.D., Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute |
Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute Florida Atlantic MacArthur Campus, Jupiter |
| Wed., March 26
Lecture 6-7 p.m. reception and book signing 7-8 p.m. |
Your Brain on God: Insights from Functional Brain Imaging Studies
Register |
Andrew B. Newberg, MD, R MRI Medical Director Division of Research Florida Atlantic University
Host Randy D. Blakely, Ph.D., Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute |
Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach, 411 Clematis St, West Palm Beach |
Brainy Days 2024
| Dates | Event | Speaker/Host | Zoom Recording |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, March 7 | Gut Feelings - The Gut Microbiome as a Key Regulator of Brain Health Across the Lifespan |
John Cryan, Ph.D., Professor and Chair Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Ireland
Hosted by Randy D. Blakely, Ph.D., Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute |
|
| Tuesday, March 12 | Well-being is a Skill |
Richard Davidson, Ph.D., William James and Vilas Research Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry and Founder and Director of the Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Founder and Chief Visionary for Healthy Minds Innovations, Inc.
Hosted by Nicole Baganz, Ph.D., Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute |
|
| March 16, 1 – 5 p.m.
March 18, 5 – 8 p.m. March 19, 5 – 8 p.m. |
INSIGHTS at the Institute
Creativity and the Bipolar Brain Art Exhibition |
Presented by the Ryan Licht Sang Bipolar Foundation, Palm Health Foundation and the Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute
Hosted by Randy D. Blakely, Ph.D., Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute |
|
| Saturday, March 16 |
BrainSparks!
Hands-on brain fun |
NeuroSquad
In partnership with the Cox Science Center and Aquarium, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience and the Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute |
|
| Thursday, March 21 |
Art, Architecture, and Human Well-being
Cocktail hour, lecture and book signing/reception to follow |
Anjan Chatterjee, Ph.D.,
Professor of Neurology, Psychology, and Architecture, University of Pennsylvania and Director of the Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics Hosted by Nicole Baganz, Ph.D., Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute |
|
| Saturday, March 23 | Rhythms of the Brain | NeuroArts symposium presented by Mind, Music, Movement Foundation | |
| Friday, March 29 | Neural Nexus: Fusing Science, Art, and Creativity |
Greg Dunn, Ph.D., Mixed Media Neuroscience Artist Suzanne Nalbantian, Ph.D., Interdisciplinary Scholar and Author in Humanities and Neuroscience
Hosted by Robert W. Stackman, Ph.D. and Bethany Stanhope, Ph.D., Florida Atlantic University |
Brainy Days 2023
FOR THE PUBLIC
| Dates | Event | Speaker or Host | Zoom Recording |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 2 | Autism Research, Education and Service: Moving the Needle — Right Now, Right Here! | Randy Blakely, Ph.D., Florida Atlantic Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute
Damon Page, Ph.D., Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology Erin Brooker Lozott, EdD, BCBA-D, CCC-SLP, Els for Autism Foundation® Kelley C. Bastien, MSW, Florida Atlantic Center for Autism & Related Disabilities (CARD) |
|
| March 5 | Autism Speaks Walk | NeuroSquad
In partnership with Florida Atlantic Center for Autism and Related Disabilities |
|
| March 17 | Reality+: Virtual Reality and the Puzzling Nature of Existence | David Chalmers, Ph.D.,
Departments of Philosophy and Neural Science, NYU Center for Mind, Brain and Consciousness |
|
| March 18 | *The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness
Lecture, reception and book signing |
Sy Montgomery,
Naturalist and Author |
|
| March 25 | BrainBlitz! Hands on Brain Fun | NeuroSquad
In partnership with the Cox Science Center and Aquarium |
|
| March 27 | When Science Links with the Arts: Research and Alternative Therapies for Parkinson’s and other Neurodegenerative Diseases | Beth Elgort, CSW, Mind, Music and Movement Foundation
Randy Blakely, Ph.D., Florida Atlantic Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute Julie Pilitsis, M.D., Ph.D., MBA, Florida Atlantic College of Medicine Henriette van Praag, Ph.D., Florida Atlantic Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute Voices of Parkinson's Chorus, Movement, Dance and Meditation |
Note: All programs free and open to the public except for the March 17 lecture
by David Chalmers
* Offered In conjunction with MindFest: Grand Opening of the Center for the Future Mind
* Offered In conjunction with MindFest: Grand Opening of the Center for the Future Mind
Brainy Days 2022
Brainy Days—A Celebration of Neuroscience 2022
FOR THE PUBLIC
| Dates | Event | Speaker or Host | Zoom link |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 28 | “Never Enough: Personal and research experiences of drug addiction” | Judith Grisel, Ph.D. | Watch Zoom Recording |
| March 6 | Autism Speaks Walk | NeuroSquad | |
| March 15 | “Gifts of the Crow” | John Marzluff, Ph.D. | Watch Zoom Recording |
| March 19 | Brain Blitz! (Neuroscience fun for kids) | NeuroSquad | |
| March 23 | "COVID – In It for the Long Haul? How Immune Responses Impact the Brain and Mind” | Ning Quan, Ph.D. | Watch Zoom Recording |
| March 25 | Diversity in Science Festival | NeuroSquad and NSO | |
| March 31 | “The Past, Present, and Future of Alzheimer’s Prevention” | Richard Isaacson, M.D. | Watch Zoom Recording |
Program Sponsor:
Event Sponsors:
Brainy Days 2021
Brainy Days—A Celebration of Neuroscience 2021
FOR THE PUBLIC
| Dates | Event | Speaker or Host | Zoom link |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 2 | How Dogs Love Us: Insights from Brain Imaging | Gregory Berns, Ph.D., professor, Department of Psychology Emory University.
Hosted by Cheryl A. Krause-Parello, Ph.D., R.N., professor, Florida Atlantic Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing, and director of Canines Providing Assistance to Wounded Warriors® (C-P.A.W.W.). |
Watch Zoom Recording |
| March 4 | Brains, Minds, and Aliens: The Search For Extraterrestrial Intelligence and its Relevance to Brain Science | Jill Tarter, Ph.D. Emeritus Chair for SETI Research, SETI Institute,
Elan Barenholtz, Ph.D., Co-Director, Florida Atlantic Machine Perception and Cognitive Robotics Lab, hosted by Susan Schneider, Ph.D.. Professor of Philosophy and Director, Florida Atlantic Center for the Future Mind. |
Watch Zoom Recording |
| March 9 | New Insights into Mechanisms and Treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease | Allan Levey, Ph.D., chair, Department of Neurology and director of the Alzheimer’s Research Center, Emory University.
Sponsored by Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Jupiter. |
Watch Zoom Recording |
| March 11 | Brains on Trial: What Brain Science Tells Us About the Origins and Limits of Responsibility | BJ Casey, Ph.D., director, Fundamentals of the Adolescent Brain Lab, Yale University;
Josh Buckholtz, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Psychology, Center for Brain Science, Harvard University; Carey Haughwout, public defender, Palm Beach County, Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren, presiding county court judge, Misdemeanor Mental Health Court, 17th Judicial Circuit, Broward County. Hosted by Wendy Guastaferro, Ph.D., interim director and associate professor, Florida Atlantic School of of Criminology and Criminal Justice. |
Watch Zoom Recording |
| March 19 | The Mighty Worm: Nobel Prize Powerhouse for the Study of Neurodegenerative Disease | Randy Blakely, Ph.D., professor, Biomedical Science, Florida Atlantic’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine and executive director, Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute,
Peter Rodriguez, graduate student, Florida Atlantic’s Integrative Biology Ph.D. program. Hosted by Becky Mercer, Ph.D., associate dean, Academic Affairs, Palm Beach State College. |
Watch Zoom Recording |
| March 23 | Brain Gains for Mental Illness: Progress for Science and Society | Audrey Gruss, founder and chairman, Hope for Depression Research Foundation,
Susan G. Amara, Ph.D., scientific director, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). |
Watch Zoom Recording |
| March 27 | Brain Blitz: Neuroscience Fun for Kids | Hosted by the ASCEND Program at Florida Atlantic and
South Florida Science Center |
Watch Zoom Recording |
Program Sponsor:
Event Sponsors:
Contact us
MAIN OFFICE
Florida Atlantic Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute
Jupiter Campus
Room 201F, MC-22
5353 Parkside Drive, Jupiter, FL 33458
Phone: 561.799.8100
EDUCATION OFFICE
Florida Atlantic Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute
Boca Raton Campus
Room 103A, SE-43
777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL 33431
Phone: 561.297.4989
