Community Outreach

NUIN has a long-standing commitment to bringing the excitement of neuroscience and the progress and benefits of neuroscience research to the general community. As such, NUIN encourages its students to take advantage of a variety of outreach opportunities available both within and outside of the program. NUIN believes reaching out to the community is important to strengthen the pipeline of students into the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In addition, outreach initiatives provide NUIN students with opportunities to hone their skills in teaching and communicating with the lay audience. Some outreach opportunities available to NUIN students are listed below.

Northwestern University Brain Awareness Outreach (NUBAO)

NUBAO is a graduate student-led public outreach initiative dedicated to educating, exciting and inspiring the Chicago community about the brain. Founded in 2010 as part of NUIN, NUBAO consists of a diverse group of mostly graduate students, in addition to undergraduate students, postdoctorate fellows, faculty and research staff from various departments and scientific disciplines at Northwestern University. Through collaborations with public schools and science education programs in the Chicago area, NUBAO organizes a number of hands-on lectures, workshops and open house-style events in an effort to teach a variety of neuroscience topics to students of all ages.

Science Club – Northwestern University Science in Society

Science Club is a mentor-based afterschool program at the McCormick Boys & Girls Club designed to engage middle school students in science through fun, hands-on activities. Northwestern graduate students and staff serve as mentors, guiding small groups of club members weekly through the program’s curriculum. Each quarter features an exciting topic ranging from biomedical engineering to food science.

Science Fair Judging

Each year, various schools from the greater Chicago area and Evanston request Northwestern scientists to serve as judges for their science fairs. Calls for volunteers are distributed throughout the year to members of the NUIN community.