KVL Provides Support for First KAUST Brain Awareness Week

Overview

Brain Awareness Week is a global campaign that promotes public awareness and interest in brain science. On the week of April 13-17, 2025, KAUST celebrated its first Brain Awareness Week led by KAUST faculty Prof. Leena Ibrahim and Vice President of Research Prof. Pierre Magistretti in partnership with several KAUST stakeholders, and with the support of the KAUST Visualization Core Lab (KVL). The event was filled with lectures about the brain functions and neuroscience research given by field experts, including KAUST faculty. This event also featured research showcases and interactive activities that engaged participants in learning more about the wonders of the brain.

The KVL provided virtual reality (VR) headsets, laptops, and expert support with hardware and software set up before and during the event, which facilitated the VR experiences for the attendees. The first VR experience was an international lecture given by Prof. Leena Ibrahim, who was physically in KAUST, Prof. Corrado Cali, joining from Turin, Italy, and Prof. Marco Agus connected from Doha, Qatar. The three lecturers presented inside a virtual space in the metaverse where 3D reconstructions of different brain structures were situated and used in the lecture. The experience was streamed live to participants in lecture rooms in KAUST and Italy, as shown in the photos below. After the lecture, participants were given the chance to go inside the virtual lecture room to interact with the 3D models in VR and other attendees either in Turin or Doha.

During the whole week, three booths in the event showcased virtual reality experiences co-organized by KVL. The first booth managed by PhD student Maria Fernanda Veloz Castillo featured VirtualMente and the metaverse lecture hall used in the international VR lecture. VirtualMente is a virtual reality tour of the brain that was developed by KVL with Prof. Pierre Magistretti and Prof. Corrado Cali with the aim of explaining the principles of brain energetics using real 3D reconstructions from the hippocampus. Additionally, the metaverse application based on the spatial.io platform was developed by Prof. Cali and Prof. Agus and features various 3D content that is used for virtual neuroscience and anatomy lectures and presentations. The second booth, co-led by Dr. Norah Alghamdi and Dr. Farah Chamaa, featured an immersive virtual reality experience that simulates the everyday challenges faced by individuals with dementia. This powerful tool helps participants develop a deeper understanding of how difficult daily life can be for those affected, fostering greater empathy and awareness of how to better support and interact with them. The app is publicly available and free to download on the Meta Store here. Finally, the third booth was managed by Ana Cecilia Gonzalez Alvarez and featured a VR Brain Exploration app that allowed users to explore a 3D model of the brain. The app can be freely downloaded here.

Prof. Leena Ibrahim giving a lecture in virtual reality.

Prof. Corrado Cali's avatar is shown here, while he is physically in Turin, Italy giving the lecture.

KAUST participants were given the chance to experience the metaverse lecture hall in VR.

The event featured booths for research showcases and interactive experiences.

The first VR booth featured VirtualMente and the metaverse lecture hall.

The second VR booth helped users learn more about dementia.

Photo credits: Maria Veloz Castillo, Farah Chamaa, Ronell Sicat.