JONESBORO -- The area branch of the National Institute of Health held its third annual BRAIN Awareness Day at the Craighead County and Jonesboro Public Library on Saturday.

The day is part of an annual campaign to educate the public about regular and irregular BRAIN functions, according to Dr. Amy Pearce, assistant professor of psychology at Arkansas State University.

"All the activities we display here today show something about the BRAIN," Pearce said.

"It gets young kids excited about science and helps them understand things on a deeper level."

The program stresses the importance of the BRAIN and teaches children about its functions and processes.

"The program teaches children that you can live without an arm, leg or a kidney, but you can't live without a BRAIN," she said.

The program was not only for children, according to Dr. Malathi Srivatsan, assistant professor of neuroscience.

"If a grandparent comes to this event with a grandchild, then there will be information for the child and the grandparent," Srivatsan said.

"Much of the information that we have, even adults do not know."

Srivatsan, who has been teaching at ASU for five years, said she loves educating people about the wonders of the BRAIN.

"It's just about learning about BRAIN functions and how each one of us is different," she said.

"We all have eyes, hair, noses, but our BRAIN is what makes us different. It gives us personality."

The event was coordinated by the local branch for neuroscience. Srivatsan said the NIH encourages branches to hold activities such as these.

The event was held at the public library "so that it would become a community event," Srivatsan said.

The program had many activities for guests such as "Make a BRAIN," where guests built a BRAIN from puzzle-like pieces; "Now You See It, Now You Don't," a short-term memory test; "Catch the Ruler," a reflex test; and "Mirror Writing," a test in which the guest practices writing using only a mirror. Visitors also examined a human BRAIN, a rat BRAIN and viewed neurons under microscopes.

Students from several ASU science departments also helped coordinate the activities. The departments represented included Biology, Psychology, Engineering and Nursing.

The students operated the various booths and assisted the guests with any questions they may have had.

--Korrenzo Moore