Meet Braintastic! Science
Who we are, what we stand for and what makes us special
We inspire, engage and educate young people to help them get the best out of their amazing brains. Founded by University of Cambridge graduate and neuroscience and psychology expert Ginny Smith, Braintastic! Science provides spectacular science shows for schools, festivals and events around the world.
Since our re-launch two years ago our shows and workshops have reached over 165,000 young people (and not so young people!) - from explaining how our brains work to help boost learning, to nurturing mental wellbeing in schools. We'd love to get your students excited about science too- just get in touch to discuss how.
What we're all about
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Curiosity and fun
We celebrate curiosity and make learning fun!
Our content promotes curiosity, encouraging kids to ask questions, and highlights the importance of learning and thinking scientifically. And most importantly, our interactive stage shows are great fun!
Knowledge is power
By understanding your amazing brain you can get the best out of it.
We help teachers and students understand the science of their amazing brains, and use it to get the best out of them. From understanding why smart revision techniques work to recognising how to protect their mental wellbeing and support others’ mental health.
Evidence based
We translate trusted scientific research into fun, narrative driven science shows and activities. We also give teachers confidence to apply valid psychology and neuroscience research in their lessons – for example sharing science based tips, tricks and resources to use in the classroom or share with their students.
Our approach is grounded in psychology and neuroscience research, sorting the hype from the hypotheses.
Lifelong learning
We believe that learning doesn’t only belong in the classroom. So we take our science shows to festivals, STEM events and communities all over the UK, and overseas. We want to show kids (and grown ups!) that learning can be enjoyable, and something that we should continue throughout our lives.
Science is part of life and skills like critical thinking and creativity are important for all.
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Everyone's welcome
We believe that science is an important part of everyday life, and should be available to everyone, whatever their gender, race or socioeconomic background. Because of this, we place accessibility at the heart of what we do. All our shows can be adapted for different levels of ability, and we are very happy to work with teachers in advance to adjust the content for their particular students.
Science is for everyone. We aim to produce accessible, inclusive content that everyone can access.
Smashing stereotypes
Anyone can become a scientist, and we aim to highlight researchers from different backgrounds to help show young people that the media trope of the ‘lone genius’ is far from the truth. So you won’t hear us talking about “mad scientists” or perpetuating the wild-hair-and-labcoat stereotype. Instead you’ll hear real stories about how real science is done, featuring some amazing women in STEM.
Scientists are real people like you and me. They are hard-working and persistent, but not all geniuses. You can be one too!
Get a free taster of our most popular science show for schools, That's Non-Sense!
Meet the Braintastic! Team
All our science presenters are brain experts, with at least one degree in neuroscience or psychology, as well as being fantastic communicators and storytellers. And they love answering kids questions about the brain, however tricky they may be! They’re also excellent role models for young people who might be interested in a career in psychology or neuroscience. And as it happens, they are mostly women in STEM too!
Ginny Smith- Founder
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Ginny’s science story started early, inspired by school trips to science museums and kitchen-table experiments at home. Studying at the University of Cambridge opened her eyes to the amazing complexity of the human brain, and she soon discovered that she had a talent for making the complex comprehensible, which took her down a path towards becoming a science writer and presenter.
Always happiest on stage, Ginny has spent over 10 years presenting at the UK's biggest science festivals and international venues like Frost Science, Miami and the Rand Show, Johannesburg. She loves performing and engaging young people with neuroscience, but her favourite part of any school science show is Q&A - tackling kids' questions on the brain. She believes that encouraging children to question fosters their curiosity and a lifelong love of science. This led her to found Braintastic! Science, to help her bring the surprising science of our amazing brains to audiences around the world.
Ginny also shares her passion for neuroscience with grown-ups. Her book, ‘Overloaded’, about brain chemistry was a New Scientist Book of the Year 2021. She has co-written 5 books for DK publishing, including the bestselling 'How the Brain Works', and is a blogger and tv science presenter for the Cosmic Shambles Network. For more on Ginny’s other work, please visit ginnysmithscience.com
Nate Rae- Presenter
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Nate spent a lot of their early life being told that they were bad at science (because they didn’t pay attention in maths class) and that they should stick to telling stories instead. They did just that, getting a masters in english literature from the University of Glasgow and writing dozens of children’s books about everything from dinosaurs to engineering to sharks. Somewhere along the line, they realised that what they really loved to do was tell stories about science – and that they were actually really good at it! After a whole childhood of being told that science wasn’t for them, they’re passionate about showing kids just like them that science isn’t as hard and boring as they’ve been told. They have a Masters in Psychology, and alongside being a science presenter with Braintastic!, teach psychology at London South Bank University, write and edit children’s books, present and edit podcasts, and do mental health research with teenagers and transgender people. They don’t sleep much.
Katie Menear - Presenter
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Katie spent most of her teenage years either drawing or trying to learn more about mental health to help the people in her life. She was always told by her peers that maths and science weren't her strong suit, and she was better suited for a creative career path. She decided to ignore this advice, and instead studied science at degree level, and eventually received a joint honours degree in psychology and biology from the University of Newcastle. Whilst studying, she discovered her passion for all things neuroscience, and fell in love with how complicated brains can be. After university, she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do, but knew she wanted to use her natural creativity to share her love for science and help young people understand their brains better and improve their wellbeing. This led her to discover science communication, and that she’s actually quite good at telling fun stories about science. She’s been doing it ever since! When Katie isn't talking about science, you can find her reading books (mostly about the brain!), drawing wildlife or baking up a storm in the kitchen.
Eugenia Sarpong- Presenter
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Eugenia’s passion for neuroscience had always been there. She just didn’t know what to call it. Throughout her childhood, her curiosity led her to seek out how and why people do what they do, but also, how the brain controls EVERYTHING in the body, while influencing one’s consciousness. On top of that, her passion for drama and the creative arts were always evident in her hobbies. Although she didn’t receive the best science grades at A-level, she was still very interested in the science of the brain and people’s minds. With that, she pushed herself and completed a degree in neuroscience with German at the University of Manchester, including a year of neurogenetics research at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. She is currently enjoying studying a masters in science communication at University College London. After all her work with young people – mentoring, tutoring and caring - Eugenia remains eager to provide spaces for them to learn all they can and feel confident enough to discuss neuroscience – and show them it’s not as complex as they might think!
Ria Davina- Presenter
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Growing up in South London in the ‘90s with a passion for singing and creative writing, Ria dreamed of one day being on a stage with her name in lights. Though there was a strong female presence in her school’s science department, there generally weren’t any people that looked liked Ria working in science (that she knew about), so it was never something she considered. Initially studying fashion, she took a roundabout route to gaining a degree in psychology & child development at London South Bank University, spanning a couple of decades in the fashion industry and various customer-facing roles, learning along the way how marketing is influenced by social demographics like class and gender, and gaining an interest in understanding how people’s thought processes help to influence their habits. Ria’s passionate about supporting children’s development, and showing that people of all shapes and colours can learn to love science. In her spare time you can find Ria dancing in fields under the sun, or walking her dog in the rain.
