The nervous system not only helps us to learn, it also produces stress, emotions and controls our behaviour and movements. Awareness of these mechanisms of sleep, learning and memory can help secondary school students not only in advancing their understanding of the basic biology and body functions, but also in motivating them to apply the knowledge to reduce stress and improve the process of learning. 23 February 2019 – A preparatory workshop for the Malaysian Brain Bee Challenge (MBBC) was conducted at the International Medical University (IMU), Malaysia’s Medical Museum at its Bukit Jalil campus. This is the second time such a workshop was conducted at the University. The first workshop was conducted in 2017 when the School of Medicine along with the University’s Marketing Department started this community engagement initiative to increase awareness of neuroscience among Forms 4 and 5 students. 
The 2019 workshop saw 30 students and teachers from six schools in the Klang Valley participating in the workshop. Lecturers from the Anatomy and Physiology Departments of the School of Medicine with the help of Medical Museum staff, taught the students about the development of the brain, anatomy of the brain, action potentials, neurotransmitters, sensations, sleep, learning, memory, reflexes, co-ordination of movements, vision and hearing. Students also joined lecturers in discussing about the stresses in their life and how to prevent stress. They also learnt about relevant clinical applications including the mechanisms of common neurodegenerative disorders. During feedback session after the lunch, students went through a series of MCQ on the topics learnt, which they found to be very useful in preparation for the MBBC, which is to be held in March 2019.
Written by A/Prof Nilesh Kumar Mitra
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