91Ö±²¥ÊÓƵCenter for Excellence in the Neurosciences teaches hundreds of students at STEM Expo
Hundreds of elementary school students learned about the brain thanks to a team from the 91Ö±²¥ÊÓƵ Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences (CEN). The CEN K-12 Outreach team gave demonstrations at 4th annual Portland STEM Expo on November 3, 2017.
The event was held at University of Southern Maine’s Sullivan Gymnasium in Portland and had 50 STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics)-related exhibits for visitors to participate in. Approximately 1,800 people, most of whom were Portland Public School students, attended the expo. CEN volunteers gave brain anatomy lessons to using sheep brain dissections. The 91Ö±²¥ÊÓƵteam included Makaela Rice ’19, Heather Snook ‘19, Neal Mecum, a Ph.D. student completing his thesis with Professor Ian Meng, Ph.D., and K-12 Outreach Coordinator Michael D’Apice ’12.
This was the first CEN’s K-12 Outreach event of the season. The team will also volunteer in Biddeford schools, doing brain anatomy lessons as well as concussion safety lessons.
To learn more about UNE’s Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences, visit:
To apply, visit