The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), on behalf of the Oregon Brainstorms Partnership, requests three years of funding to extend dissemination of the exhibit and educational materials produced in its initial pilot SEPA project concerning the effects of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs on the human brain and nervous system. The proposed project will also allow the partnership to refine, evaluate, and disseminate a number of additional methods for educating the public about the nature and methods of biomedical research and its relevance to healthy living. While the initial federal grant focused on adults, the new grant will target a wider audience, including youth, adults, underrepresented and high-risk populations, teachers, and various health and human services providers. The Oregon Brainstorms Partnership, now in its second of the initial three-year grant, has brought together scientists from Oregon's leading neuroscientific research institutions plus a wide range of educators and health services providers from around the state. Key partners are OMSI, the Oregon Health Sciences University and its two research affiliates, the Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology, and the Vollum Institute of Advanced Biomedical Research; the Oregon Regional Primate Research Center; and the R.S. Dow Neurological Sciences Institute at Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center. This project's objectives are to (1) strengthen and expand existing communication linkages in order to increase literacy regarding the biomedical/behavioral sciences and promote health; (2) evaluate, refine, and reproduce the """"""""Brain Matters"""""""" exhibits and materials; and (3) disseminate a comprehensive educational model comprising exhibits, activities, and materials on the brain and related health science appropriate for a diverse public audience. The first year will focus on evaluating and then duplicating the traveling exhibit on the brain, for permanent installation in the OMSI Life Sciences Hall. Year two will focus on development, prototyping, and formative evaluation of a variety of model activities and demonstration materials to be used in the Life Sciences Lab, located adjacent to the brain exhibit. The theme for these hands on presentations and activities will be the Life Continuum, that is the physiological and cognitive changes of human development, with an emphasis on the role and nature of basic research in furthering our understanding of the human life cycle. A variety of techniques and strategies will be employed, including demonstrations by researchers, interactive exhibits, and the use of multimedia computer applications. Year three will focus on completing production of the brain exhibits and materials, on summative evaluation activities, and on establishing an effective dissemination network, to include university teacher training programs and secondary school internship programs.
