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Brain Awareness Week: Brain School

Brain School

An annual Brain Awareness Week campaign hosted by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
March 9, 2026, 5-7:30 p.m.

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Brain School 2026
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Brain School 2026: An Inside Look at How Our Genes Contribute to Healthy Brain Development and What Can Go Wrong

March 9, 2026, 5 p.m., 4 Riverside Circle, Roanoke, Virginia 

Speakers | Q&A | Research Facility Tours | Brain Research Expo 

Watch the Brain School 2026 speakers

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Brain School Speakers (6-7:30 p.m.)

A Primer on Genetics, Brain Disorders, and the Promise of Gene Therapy

From Genes to the Brain: Understanding 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome

Targeting Genetic Mutations in Epilepsy: Clues from the Synapse 

Expo (5-6 p.m.)

Stirring milk

Food and the Brain

The DiFeliceantonio Lab

Electric brain

Into the Brain with Technology 

The Legon Lab

Display table

ACQUIRE Therapy Building Neural Connections

Neuromotor Research Clinic

Albert Pan with zebrafish

Studying Brain Development in See-through Zebrafish

The Pan Lab

Xuansong Mao, Ph.D.

Unlocking the Power of Exercise: How Mitochondria in Your Brain Boost Memory and Learning

The Yan lab

Touching a brain

Brain Anatomy 101: Real Brains

Kristofer Rau

Focused ultrasound illustration

The Power of Sound

Jason Raymond

Maosen Wang, Ph.D.

Capturing Images of the Brain

Maosen Wang

Dopamine signaling image

Dopamine: The Brain’s Learning Signal

The Amo Lab

Dr. Howell and baby

Growing Connections: How Experiences Shape the Brain

The Howell Lab

Focused ultrasound transducer on head

Opening the Brain's Barrier with Sound

The Wu Lab

  

Ask a Brain Expert

Is the electricity in my brain the same thing that powers my phone? 

Can the brain be changed without surgery? 

What's going on inside your brain when you're dreaming? 

Is the brain able to change, or am I wired this way for life? 

Share brain science with your students

Resources for Educators

 

On-Demand Brain School Content

Tune into previous Brain School lectures.

An Introduction to Focused Ultrasound and Brain Modulation

Using Focused Ultrasound to Improve Drug Delivery for Brain Cancer

Precision Treatments for Childhood Brain Cancer with Focused Ultrasound

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