NIDA’s Volkow Speaks at X-STEM, Hosts Activities at Festival

Students participate in NIDA’s “Brains Up Close.”

NIDA director Dr. Nora Volkow recently presented “Inside the Addicted Human Brain” to an audience of more than 500 students and parents at X-STEM, an Extreme STEM Symposium for middle through high school students.

The symposium, whose goal is to advance STEM education and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers, kicked off the 4th annual USA Science & Engineering Festival—the largest and only national science festival. 

At the festival, NIDA hosted two activities: “Brains Up Close,” which provided students the opportunity to observe, hold and learn about real brains; and the “NIDA Brain Derby,” a fast-moving and interactive game in which participants tested their knowledge about the brain and how drugs can affect it. 

NIH estimates that there were about 50,000 people who visited the NIH Pavilion at the event.