Magnify Gallery Showcase held on May 9, 2025
Brain Awareness Outreach also works beyond science classes. To bring the beauty of the scientific world to local art students, Sarah Hunter-Chang, a UVA student researcher and artist, initiated a collaboration with Jennifer Kett, a studio art teacher at Charlottesville High School. Together, they created “Magnify,” which has become an integral component of Brain Awareness Outreach.
Magnify’s program is multifaceted: UVA neuroscience researchers visit Charlottesville High School art classes to present their research. Later, these same students visit UVA labs to see what neuroscience research looks like firsthand. This culminates in an original, science-inspired piece of art created by each student displayed annually in a local gallery.
The 2024-2025 Magnify gallery showcase was held on Friday, May 9, from 6 to 9 p.m. at 305 E. Water St. in the future “CreatorHub” located on the ground floor of Vault Virginia, a coworking and event space in downtown Charlottesville. Admission was free and open to all.
Building bridges like these to non-scientists is essential to explain who we are and why our research matters. UVA neuroscience researchers intentionally brought community outreach back post-pandemic and rebuilt the Brain Awareness Outreach program, recognizing the value of outreach to build public trust in research and promote critical thinking. With the future of research funding currently in the spotlight, public outreach and effective science communication are more critical now than ever.
Brain Awareness Outreach is still actively planning school visits for the 2024-2025 academic year. If interested in volunteering, please contact uvabrains@gmail.com for more information.
Article excerpt by Raquel Miralles, Photos taken by Kira Boyce.
Excerpt originally posted in Medicine in Motion News by daf4a@virginia.edu, May 6th, 2025
