May 6 is “Bernstein Day 2013”: Activities on the brain all over Germany

Understanding the human brain and its diseases is one of the greatest scientific challenges. During the last decades, brain research has made great achievements – yet, much more is still to be discovered. To document the prominent role of brain research within the future European research strategy, the European Commission has decided to declare May 2013 the “European Month of the Brain” (www.europeanbraincouncil.org/MonthofBrain2013).

Its goal is to increase awareness about the successes and future challenges of brain research. The activity aims at decision-makers, stakeholders, the media and the public, by a variety of events and activities.

The National Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience participates in this campaign with the “Bernstein Day” on May 6, 2013. On this day, Bernstein members organize a number of activities on the brain at various locations all over Germany. The events range from movie shows, talks and workshops to science-and-music-crossovers. The majority of activities is free of charge and requires no registration. An overview of all events including detailed information can be found on the website of the Bernstein Network (www.nncn.de/termine-en/BernsteinDayBrain).

The National Bernstein Network Computational Neuroscience was initiated by the Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) in 2004 in order to establish the research discipline Computational Neuroscience in Germany. With the support of the BMBF, the network has developed into one of the largest research networks in the field of Computational Neuroscience worldwide. The network is named after the German physiologist Julius Bernstein (1835-1917).