The Neuroscience Club, founded in spring 2022, strives to offer a space for students to explore professional opportunities while engaging with their broader community.

The club helps students with backgrounds in science, medicine and research to find neuroscience-centered opportunities. It hosts Faculty Research Mixers and other professional development events, providing opportunities to gain experience.

On April 5, student volunteers set up paint canvases at Willow Point Rehabilitation & Nursing Center, creating a welcoming space for residents to share stories and make connections while painting spring-themed artwork. Asiya Patel, the club’s secretary, has volunteered at the facility since middle school and worked with facility staff and other club members to organize the event.

“There’s growing evidence that activities like art therapy and regular social interaction can improve cognitive function, support memory, and even help with fine motor skills,” wrote Patel, a sophomore majoring in integrative neuroscience. “So we decided to organize a painting event with the residents, something that would be both fun and beneficial for their mental well-being.”

Patel said community outreach is part of the club’s mission to make neuroscience more accessible. Volunteers poured mocktails for residents and assisted those with decreased motor function.

“Events like this remind us that emotional connection, social engagement, and creativity are essential to cognitive well-being, especially as we age,” Patel wrote. “It is one thing to learn about aging from a textbook, but it’s a whole other thing to sit beside someone, share a canvas, and build something meaningful together.”

A 2020 study published in Frontiers in Psychology, a peer-reviewed journal, found that visual art and emotion therapy positively impacts “the cognitive and the behavioral status” of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease.

Along with interactions with the local community, the club has also found more engaging ways to explore neuroscience with college students. In 2024, leading up to Valentine’s Day, the club hosted a discussion on the neuroscience behind love. Two months later, it organized an interactive talk on the medical usage and neurological effects of marijuana, three days before 4/20.

The club has also held events like “Go Beyond the Books with Neuroscience Club,” where the E-Board gave advice about getting involved in labs, connecting with professors and finding different shadowing and volunteer opportunities.

Earlier this semester, it held a workshop called “Navigating Your Research Journey: Finding Your Path in the Lab” to “help students learn how to connect with faculty and prepare for our biggest event each semester: the Faculty Research Mixer.” At the Mixer, biology, neuroscience, chemistry and psychology professors present their lab work, allowing students networking opportunities and time to ask questions.

They have done collaborative events, like “Dive Into the World of Neurodegenerative Diseases with SRD x Neuroscience Club,” with Students for Rare Diseases. At the event, students “worked through real case studies, sharpened their clinical thinking skills, and explored critical neurological disorders, while enjoying a welcoming and interactive environment,” according to Patel.

“We’re also hoping to visit local elementary schools to teach younger students about the brain and neuroscience in a fun and accessible way,” Patel wrote. “In addition, we want to launch initiatives to raise awareness in the broader community about mental health issues, neurodegenerative disease prevention, and brain health.”

The club welcomes attendance from across different majors, Patel wrote, and it aims to design their events to appeal to anybody interested in the healthcare industry, research, community outreach and service or related fields.

In the future, the Neuroscience Club hopes to return to the nursing home along with finding ways to raise awareness among young people. Patel mentioned youth programs and local school visits as examples of how the club “can teach the basics of neuroscience in fun, interactive ways.”

“Our goal is to make neuroscience more accessible while also fostering curiosity, empathy, and a deeper understanding of how our brains shape who we are,” she continued. “We are also exploring other ways to bring neuroscience-informed outreach into the community, with the goal of promoting mental health, social connection, and wellbeing across all ages.”