Most of us take for granted that the brain and its 86 billion neurons quietly goes about the business of being “you” without much fuss. It senses the environment, coordinates movement, processes thoughts, stores and recalls memories, and replays one song over and over and over again.

An Evening with Neuroscience is a celebration of that remarkable brain in your head. This event is an opportunity for the public to engage directly with the expansive, interdisciplinary field of neuroscience. We invite researchers, psychologists, and clinicians to discuss up-and-coming research, dispel myths, answer your questions submitted prior to the event, and share a few brainy laughs with the public. We also have a variety of fun games and activities for you, so that you can test your brain about brains! EVERYONE is invited to participate.

So, come join us for an informal, casual, and fun opportunity to learn about neuroscience. EVERYONE is invited – no neuroscience background needed! Strike up a conversation, ask a question, and learn more about the “mush between your ears!”

EWN 2023 is set to take place from 6-9 PM on Friday, May 5, 2023, in a hybrid format. The in-person event will take place in Kane Hall Room 130 (the Roethke Auditorium), and the event will also be livestreamed to YouTube. Below is a rough schedule:

6:00 - 7:00 PM: Pre-Panel Events: human brain demonstration, art gallery, and interactive neurotechnology showcase
7:00 - 7:15 PM: Seating and Introduction
7:15 - 7:55 PM: Panel Discussion
7:55 - 8:05 PM: Intermission
8:00 - 9:00 PM: Live Q&A

A food truck will be available on Red Square outside Kane Hall before the event, during intermission, and after the event!

This year, we aim to establish a wider online presence with a focus on expanding beyond the Seattle area and reaching those with the least access to neuroscience education. More information regarding in-person and online accessibility is located on the Access page. If you have suggestions for how we can improve our event’s accessibility, or would like to request a specific accommodation, please do so here.

Read up about our distinguished speakers here!

Thank you to everyone who attended EWN 2022! View the full recording here!

The top left image features the EWN panelists on the light brown wooden stage of the Kane Hall auditorium at the University of Washington, decorated with purple and white balloons and streamers, with a title slide in the background displaying 'An Evening with Neuroscience' and purple and blue neurons.
The top right image shows the audience of Kane Hall, which has 13 rows seating 500-600 people and is nearly full.
In bottom left image, the EWN planning committee smiles, arranged for a group photo in the lobby of Kane Hall outside the doors of the auditorium, with purple and white balloons in the background.
The bottom right image shows the Grey Matters Store, set up on a table in the lobby of Kane Hall, with Grey Matters Journal issues, black brain keychains, an blue brain stickers.


Get Involved!

Engaging in our planning committee is a unique opportunity to gain valuable experience in leadership, teamwork, and event planning, while furthering Grey Matters’ educational mission. Each year, the committee forms a tight-knit community that is as enjoyable as it is productive. For information on joining, please visit our EWN recruitment page!

In the top left image, an EWN attendee is picking up a black brain keychain from the Grey Matters store in the lobby.
The top center image shows a circular white button pin with a pink brain on it, laying on top of pages of circular EWN stickers with white brains on black backgrounds.
The top right image shows the EWN panel audience inside the auditorium.
The middle left image shows a board with a large piece of paper on it with the question: 'What topics would you like to see covered in the next issue of Grey Matters?' and multicolored sticky notes on it that attendees put on with their desired topics.
The very center image is Dr. Ric Robinson beginning a brain dissection in the lobby of Kane Hall.
The middle right image features a beautiful art piece showing the human skeleton, the hands from the painting of God creating Adam in the Sistine Chapel, monkeys, humans, neurons in the style of Ramon y Cajal drawings, and action potentials.
The bottom left image shows a cross-section of the brain made of glass that lights up and changes color, inside a wooden box, on a table with a patterned tablecloth.
The bottom center image displays an intricate artistic piece in black ink, featuring a brain with the four lobes labeled, as well as intricate designs surrounding it, that attendees filled in with color before the panel discussion.
In the bottom right image, members of the EWN planning committee dressed in all black hold a purple and white balloon arch stretched out horizontally, in the Kane Hall lobby in front of the doors of the auditorium