• Brain Awareness Week
• "Drunken Brain" Exhibit
• NIAAA Director's Speech
• Alcohol Screening Day
• Complementary and Alternative Medicine Course
• EYE SITE Exhibit
• V I S I O N Exhibit

NIH Brain Awareness Week Symposium
When: March 12, 2003, 8:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Where: William H. Natcher Conference Center, NIH campus in Bethesda, MD
Institute: National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

The public was invited to attend an NIH-sponsored scientific symposium on the various ways stress can impact the brain, body, and ultimately people's lives as part of Brain Awareness Week. The symposium was being coordinated by NIDA. Brain Awareness Week is a nationwide effort to promote the public and personal benefits of brain research, organized by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives.

Next Steps:
For more information, contact NIDA's press office at (301) 443-1124. Video of this event will be available on NIDA's Web site www.drugabuse.gov.

"Drunken Brain" Exhibit Displayed at Activities in Washington, DC Area
When and Where:

Children throughout the Washington, DC area are exploring the "Drunken Brain" exhibit, a four-foot model constructed from chicken wire and flashing Christmas lights. Dennis Twombly, Ph.D., of NIAAA, recently displayed his novel exhibit at the 2003 Brain Awareness Week activities at the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Bethesda, MD in March. He will also be displaying the exhibit at the "Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work" day on the NIH campus in Bethesda on April 24 and at the "Take Your Child to Work Day" at the National Cancer Institute's Frederick, Ft. Detrick facility on July 23.

As part of the exhibit, Dr. Twombly demonstrates how alcohol changes brain-cell activity and interferes with sensory perception, muscle coordination, and memory. Students are also invited to navigate an obstacle course while wearing "Fatal Vision" prism goggles. These goggles allow visitors to experience firsthand the loss of motor performance experienced during alcohol intoxication. Roger Sorensen, Ph.D., and Vishnu Purohit, Ph.D., also from NIAAA, also present exhibits on alcohol-related tissue damage and risks of adolescent binge drinking.

During the Brain Awareness Week activities in March, other NIH institutes with neuroscience-related programs (National Institute on Aging, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of Mental Health, and National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) sponsored plenary talks as well as hands-on exhibits in brain science.

Next steps:
For additional information, contact Dennis A. Twombly, Ph.D., Program Director of Neurophysiology & Pharmacology, Division of Basic Research, NIAAA at (301) 443-9334 or at dtwombly@mail.nih.gov.

NIAAA Director to Speak at National Hispanic Medical Association Conference
When: March 21-23, 2003
Where: Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill, Washington DC
Institute: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Ting-Kai Li, M.D., Director of NIAAA, will give a talk on Hispanic health disparities related to alcohol abuse and dependence at the March 22, 2003 plenary session of the National Hispanic Medical Association's annual conference. The session will take place from 8:30 to 10:25 a.m. Dr. Li will speak to Hispanic doctors about NIAAA's efforts to meet the goals of Healthy People 2010, which strives to eliminate health disparities among ethnic and other special populations in the US.

Next steps:
For more information on the conference and the schedule of events, visit www.nhmamd.org/2003conf.htm or call (202) 628-5895 or contact Judith A. Arroyo, NIAAA, at (301) 402-0717 or Jarroyo@mail.nih.gov.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Course Offered to Public
When: Monday evenings from April 21 to June 2 at 6 p.m.
Where: Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC
Institute: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)

The Smithsonian and NCCAM are co-sponsoring a six-week course for the public on "Complementary and Alternative Medicine, from Acupuncture to Yoga." The course will feature scientists and researchers who are directly involved in evaluating various complementary and alternative medicine practices. NCCAM's Director, Stephen E. Straus, M.D will speak at the first lecture. Speakers will present important information on topics such as herbals and other dietary supplements; mind-body medicine; manipulative and body-based therapies such as chiropractic; and traditional Chinese medicine such as acupuncture; and alternative medicine approaches that relate to aging. In particular, speakers will discuss which therapies have proven effective, which have not, and the future of complementary and alternative medicine.

Next Steps:
This course is part of the Campus on the Mall continuing education program. To register or to obtain additional information, visit www.residentassociates.org/com/yoga.asp, call (202) 357-3030, or send an e-mail to rap@tsa.si.edu. Ticket prices are $123 for general admission, $78 for Resident Associate Members, and $70 for Senior Associate Members.

THE EYE SITE: A Traveling Exhibit on Low Vision for Shopping Centers
When: March-August 2003
Where: Kansas, Nebraska, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, DC, and Colorado
Institute: National Eye Institute (NEI)

THE EYE SITE: A Traveling Exhibit on Low Vision for Shopping Centers will visit five states and the District of Columbia in 2003. The NEI developed the exhibit to help people understand low vision (vision problems that interfere with the ability to perform everyday activities) and explain what they can do to stay independent despite vision loss. The exhibit will be visiting malls in Nebraska, Maryland, Virginia, Washington, DC, and Colorado through August 2003.

Upcoming locations include:

Two additional locations are being planned for the 2003 Colorado tour.

By the end of 2002, two identical exhibits had visited 32 malls in 14 states, including Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.

Since THE EYE SITE tour was launched in 2001, the NEI has:

• Provided more than 15 million people with the opportunity to visit the exhibit and learn about low vision.
• Distributed more than 39,000 publications.
• Worked with more than 50 vision-related organizations.

Next steps:
The public can visit the exhibit during regular business hours at any mall on the tour. For more information and to view a list of locations, visit THE EYE SITE Web site at www.nei.nih.gov/nehep/eyesite.

V I S I O N Traveling Exhibit in South Dakota
When and Where: