The McGovern Institute aims to engage people of all ages and backgrounds—from middle-school students to federal policymakers—through a mix of hands-on programs, mentoring, and public events.
Leading our outreach efforts is our Scientific Advisor Jill Crittenden, who draws on her years of experience as a neuroscientist to mentor students of all ages. Prior to overseeing McGovern outreach, she was a research scientist at MIT, contributing to foundational knowledge on the genetic modeling of movement disorders and authoring dozens of publications. Today, she provides opportunities for McGovern researchers to engage with kids in the community by hosting interactive tours in partnership with the Cambridge Public Schools, the MIT Museum, and local summer camps.
At the heart of her work is a simple belief: that understanding the brain and mind takes people from all walks of life, with every kind of experience, perspective, and passion.
Below are some examples of our recurring outreach efforts with MIT and the surrounding Cambridge community.
Bringing neuroscience to life for young students
In partnership with the Cambridge Public Schools, the McGovern Institute hosts roughly 100 6th graders every January for a day of neuroscience exploration.
Students learn about the brain and take interactive tours through our labs.
They experience a mock MRI scanner, see brain-computer interfaces in action, participate in surround-sound hearing tests, compare brains from different animal species, and even manipulate C. elegans worms—tiny organisms that help us understand how nervous systems work.
We also partner with the MIT Museum each winter to reach seventh graders in Cambridge through a special STEM event, where McGovern neuroscientists show students how computer science and big data are revolutionizing research.
Training young scientists to think like researchers
Through a collaboration with NetPals, a Cambridge mentorship program that pairs 7th-grade students with local science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) professionals, McGovern science mentors are matched with local middle-schoolers for ongoing conversations, culminating in lab tours and the chance to judge at a science fair.
In partnership with the non-profit science journal Frontiers for Young Minds, we mentor Cambridge eighth graders as they review and provide feedback on real scientific papers (including one authored by a Nobel Laureate).
Through the Cambridge Mayor’s Youth Summer Employment Program (MYSEP), we co-mentor high school students as they work on real McGovern research projects. In 2025, students collaborated on an AI-based hydrogel drug-release project and presented their findings with a scientific poster. In 2026, another group conducted a big-data study analyzing survey results about teen drug use.
Building a welcoming community
We host interactive lab tours for two summer camps: Aspire, a Mass General Brigham for Children program that serves children, teens and adults on the autism spectrum, and ATWIN, a STEAM-driven program that welcomes both neurotypical and neurodiverse tweens.
Our post-baccalaureate research scholars regularly participate in STEAM It Up!, an annual K-8 science fair, bringing neuroscience directly to MIT and Cambridge families.
Finally, our researchers also collaborate with the MIT Museum on public “After Dark” events and major brain-themed exhibitions for the general public.
Making a difference
Beyond recurring programs, we’ve also hosted students through MIT’s Interphase EDGE/X Program, an enrichment initiative run by the MIT Office of Academic Community, Empowerment and Success, supported high school students entering the Society for Neuroscience Brain Awareness Video Contest, and organized a special congressional-staff tour of our NIH BRAIN Initiative-funded labs with the BRAIN director, helping to secure continued support for vital research funding.
Getting involved
Are you an MIT student, postdoc, or staff member who is interested in getting involved with McGovern outreach? If so, contact Jill Crittenden at jrc@mit.edu for more information.