Jack Freedman

Staff Writer

From March 9–12, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Neuroscience Society is holding Brain Awareness Week. Between noon and 2 p.m. each day, they will host a table in the Bawcom Student Union. Neuroscience students and professors are happy to answer questions about mental health, share fun facts about the brain, give out stickers and sell baked goods.

“The Neuroscience Society tries to raise awareness for our major,” Lucas Thorley, a senior, said. “We want people to know how they can have a healthy brain and a healthy life.”

Since the inception of the neuroscience major in 2023, they have designated one week for promoting brain health awareness.

“This is our third year on campus,” Madison Gonzales, a junior, said. “It’s a relatively new major.”

Members of the organization want all students to know how their brain works and what they can do to increase its functionality.

“Your brain works based on a variety of factors,” Natalie Libreros, a sophomore, said. “Sleep, diet and exercise are the big ones for college students, especially during a stressful time of year like this.”

For the first time, the Neuroscience Society sold baked goods prepared by various members of the club. Visitors to the booth were encouraged to buy cookies, brownies and fruit bread after receiving fun facts about the brain.

“We figured selling food would encourage people to visit our table,” Gonzales said.

The theme this year is mental health. Students in the major set up a variety of charts detailing what people can do to improve their mental health.

“If you want better memory, exercise is known to help with that,” Dr. Seena Mathew said. “Activities like puzzles and crosswords are known to help you stay sharper.”

The end goal of the Neuroscience Society is to help form a more mentally stable campus body of both students and teachers alike. With spring break right around the corner, they predict this will give the brains of students and teachers some much-needed rest.