Outreach and Volunteering
Student-Led Activities / Outreach and Volunteering
BrainsRule! Outreach Opportunity
Each spring, the UM Neuroscience Graduate Student Organization hosts BrainsRule!, an educational outreach program designed to instill a passion for science in local middle school students. Over one hundred students are shuttled to campus for a day-long “reverse science-fair” event to teach them about the brain and biology. This event occurs sometime over March/April. You can view short descriptions and pictures/gifs of our current booths on our website.
There are a few different ways that you can get involved with BrainsRule! depending on your level of interest. If you’re interested in serving on one of the committees, send an email to Amanda Gibson, gibsonag@umich.edu. A general membership meeting will be scheduled in the coming weeks, and you can hear a bit more about each committee from current members and indicate your preference there.
- Volunteer to run a booth at the event
- This requires minimal commitment.
- There is usually one volunteer training meeting and then you just have to show up for the event. We’ll provide instructions and supplies
- Keep an eye out for emails calling for volunteers at the beginning of winter semester
- Serve on one of the BrainsRule! committees
- Schools
- Contact local teachers and administrators to help organize students’ attendance at the event
- Identifying teachers/schools
- Coordinating schedules (often dependent on bussing needs for the district)
- T-shirt orders
- This role tends to be more involved in the late fall and early winter
- Contact local teachers and administrators to help organize students’ attendance at the event
- Volunteers
- Managing recruitment, placement, and training of University of Michigan volunteers
- This role is lighter in the fall, more involved in the weeks leading up to the event
- Finances
- Conduct fundraising – often by contacting departments and organizations on campus that have previously offered support
- Coordinate with University of Michigan event staff to book on-campus space and catering
- Manage status as a student organization (registration, etc)
- This role has responsibilities spread throughout the year
- Education
- Help with booth development
- Keeping booth instructions clear and up-to-date
- Monitoring stock of booth supplies
- Assisting volunteers on the day of the event
- This role is heaviest around the time of the event, with opportunities for booth development throughout the year
- Schools