Falling Walls Falling Walls Science Summit 2022

Breaking the Wall of Neuroscience Education for Youth

Alexia Ostrolenk

Science Engagement

BrainReach is an outreach programme that provides free bilingual neuroscience education to students in underserved neighborhoods in Montreal and remote indigenous communities of Quebec. Volunteers visit the same classroom every month to deliver interactive workshops. The mission of BrainReach is to educate school students on how their brains function, reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness by teaching its biological basis and provide diverse representations of what it is to be a scientist.

Tags: Diversity, Education, Science Communication, Trust in science, Outreach in Schools

Alexia Ostrolenk

BrainReach / Mission Cerveau

Alexia Ostrolenk is a PhD candidate in Psychiatric Science at Université de Montréal. Her research focuses on hyperlexia in autism, which is defined by an intense interest and early acquisition of reading skills with delayed comprehension. Since 2018, she serves a co-president of BrainReach, a volunteer organisation that delivers neuroscience workshops to children and teenagers. She sits on the organizing committee for ComSciCon Quebec, the first francophone SciComm conference for grad students.