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. 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 2021 will be a series of live streams on four consecutive Fridays. 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. We are always striving to make our events more accessible, and will provide closed captioning for all livestreams, which will also be recorded on YouTube. 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.

  • On April 16th at 5:00 PM PDT, Synaptech at the UW will showcase some cutting-edge neurotechnology, and Dr. Fatma Inanici will discuss her research on spinal cord stimulation as a therapy for spinal cord injury.

    Stream Link: tiny.cc/ewn21neurotech

  • On April 23rd at 5:00 PM PDT, UW professors Dr. Robinson and Dr. Mulligan will be conducting a live human brain dissection!

    Stream Link: tiny.cc/ewn21dissection

  • On April 30th at 5:00 PM PDT, we’ll stream an exclusive video from world-renowned neuroscience artist Dr. Greg Dunn, where he discusses some of his major works, including Self-Reflected!

    Stream Link: tiny.cc/ewn21dunnart

  • On May 7th at 5:00 PM PDT, we’ll have a live stream featuring an interdisciplinary panel of distinguished neuroscientists and clinicians, who will be discussing questions you pre-submit! After an hour of discussion, we will open up the floor to live audience questions and discussion with the panelists.

    Stream Link: tiny.cc/ewn21panel

We highly encourage you to pre-submit questions for all of the events; in particular, the first half of the panel discussion will be dedicated to answering them. Read up about our distinguished speakers here! Links to each of the four livestreams will be posted closer to the event.

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.

Applications to join the planning committee are currently closed. If you are interested in joining the committee next year, we highly encourage you to attend the event this year!

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