Neuroscience Outreach & Volunteer Association

A fan favorite was our robotic claw. The kids control the claw using electrical signals from their own hand or arm!

Our volunteers ran many demonstrations for the kids, including writing with inverted vision goggles, extracting DNA from strawberries, and holding a real human brain!

A big thanks to the Maryland Science Center for hosting our Blossoming Brains event this past weekend! We had so much fun chatting with young kids about the brain and what we do as neuroscientists.

We hope everyone had a safe (and spooky) Halloween! To get in the Halloween spirit, NOVA volunteered at Trick or Treat with UMB - there is nothing more on theme than talking about brains! The kids were able to make a spooky potion using dry ice (a trick) before enjoying some candy (a treat).

Whether you would like to volunteer with us, or plan to attend one of our events, we are excited to have you follow along! Stay tuned for upcoming event info, photos from past events, fun science facts, and more!

We also host an annual event called "Brewing Biology" where researchers, clinicians, politicians, and Baltimore community members can discuss hot topics in science. So far, we have covered topics including substance use disorders, COVID-19, mental health, and gut health.

For students intersted in a scientific career, we host events to show what the day-to-day looks like for an academic scientist! We have given career-focused presentations at the Baltimore City Brain Bee, and have given lab tours at UMSOM, among other events.

Many of our events are hosted in partnership with local schools and student groups. We focus on neuroscience education through fun, interactive activities covering topics like neuroanatomy, physiology and sensory systems.

Hello Bluesky! We are the Neuroscience Outreach and Volunteer Association, a student-led volunteer organization at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. We host hands-on, science based events within the Baltimore community. Our goal is to get people of all ages excited about science!