Elea-Maria Abisamra began KCW Neuroscience (Neuro for short) January 2023. One of her majors is Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience, and she thought of a way to connect her passion for Neuroscience with her passion for writing for KCW. The mission of the KCW Neuro program is to give kids the opportunity to learn about the brain and write a story like they're travelling through it. This program combines volunteering and community service/giving back to the community with a passion for neuroscience. Tutors have the opportunity to leave an indelible mark on their students and teach them the basics of neuroscience. Over the course of six weeks, students learn about cells, neurons, neurotransmitters, functions of different lobes in the brain, and more. Kids also do fun activities with their tutors, such as puzzles, during the Lesson part of the session.

The Kids Can Write Neuro Program is currently ongoing at Gilbert Linkous, with 3rd-5th graders. Tutors from Virginia Tech are either Neuroscience majors/minors, or have taken basic Neuroscience courses.

As normal, kids also write their stories with the assistance of their tutors. The difference between KCW Regular and KCW Neuro, is that the stories written in this program are relevant to the brain. Kids write adventure stories about travelling through the brain, using their imagination to bring new perspectives to the world of Neuroscience. It is the hope of Kids Can Write that the students will learn more about the brain, and that the tutors will learn to open their minds to all of the possibilities in neuroscience, as it is a field with much unknown. Thus, everyone is truly learning in this program. Kids learn to become published authors, and tutors reconnect with their creativity and imaginative selves.

Neuroscience Program Leadership Team

KCW Neuro Tutors - First Session 2/16