One of NC’s newest clubs, Brain Food serves as NC’s only behavioral science club and welcomes students from all grades. Lately, students find that Brain Food provides an excellent opportunity to engage in social activities safely during the pandemic. As a behavioral science club, psychology, neuroscience, and sociology play a major role in the club’s content. Started in October 2019, Brain Food continues to grow and become cherished by its members. 

“In each meeting, through games, community service, and other fun activities, we hope to teach students about the functions of the human brain and how people’s brains influence how we act and interact with the world around us,” Brain Food founder, Magnet junior Ochuwa Garuba said. 

The idea for Brain Food stemmed from Garuba’s love of neurology and behavioral science. Volunteering at Shepherd Center, a neurorehabilitation center in Atlanta,  and taking AP Psychology during her sophomore year gave Garuba the knowledge and desire to share her love of behavioral science with others at NC. Once she realized that no related clubs existed at NC, she quickly set Brain Food in motion. 

“It was a shock to me that there wasn’t a psychology or behavioral science club at NC because it seemed like we had every single club one could imagine. Nevertheless, I quickly decided to take the opportunity that I had to find a club sponsor, Ms. Cooper [Social Studies], and a group of friends to help start the club with me,” Garuba said.

Brain Food provides the perfect opportunity for students interested in behavioral science to learn about the area in a fun and friendly environment. For students taking psychology or sociology, this club also provides an additional supplementary learning experience. Above all, Brain Food gives students the opportunity to socialize with others interested in behavioral science and make new friends. 

A Brain Food meeting generally begins with time for socializing and students to chat about whatever they would like, including how their day went or things they learned that day. The leadership team introduces the topic for the day afterwards, which can range from implicit bias to sleep and consciousness. Students watch intriguing videos or give a short presentation on the topic before completing a fun activity like Kahoot, Jeopardy, or Pictionary. Meetings come to a close with wide-ranging discussions at the end of the 45 minutes. 

“Our sponsor has been a strong supporter of the activities that we plan for each meeting and wants the club to continue to be student-led; as a result, the leadership team and I always do our part to ensure that the club is by students and for students,” Garuba said. 

Brain Food meets on Thursday afternoons at 5 p.m. via Zoom. Students can receive notifications of all the important updates and learn more about the club after joining the Remind with the code @brainfood1. Brain Food welcomes and encourages all students to join. 

The Brain Food leadership team, which consists of Ochuwa Garuba, Lisbeth Martinez, Allison Castaneda, Chloe Malcom, McKenna Clary, and Nicole Whitney, along with club members hope that Brain Food continues at NC for years to come. They want students to view behavioral science, psychology, and sociology as fun and important subjects that influence the way people behave and interact with their surrounding environment.