In 2006, then Palm Beach County
Commissioner Addie Greene’s was the deciding vote to place the Scripps
Research Institute in Jupiter rather than the controversial Mecca Farms
site in The Acreage.
The $500 million state-and-county deal – pushed
by then-Gov. Jeb Bush – to lure La Jolla, Calif.-based Scripps to
Florida, was promoted to taxpayers as the initial investment in a
biotech boom.
In 2008 county commissioners approved another $87
million to build and operate the Max Planck Florida Institute, with the
state allocating another $94 million.
The Neuroscience Discovery Day
offers one glimpse of how well the biotech promised is being fulfilled.
The event schedule includes activities for all ages, such as lectures
by Max Planck scientists, tours of the 100,000 square-foot facility, a
Careers in Science panel discussion, scientific experiments and
interactive activities, an Images of Science exhibit, neuron face
painting and balloon art.
County high school students have prepared
for two competitions in conjunction with the event. Students in grades
9-12 are submitting projects for the Neuroscience Inspires Art contest,
focused on of how people use their brains to process sensory
information. For the Battle of the Brains, students in grades 9-12 are
submitting informational posters, with each student judged on a 5-minute
oral presentation on topics such as how stress affects the brain and
why certain drugs are addictive. All submitted projects and posters will
be on display.
For more information visit maxplanckflorida.org/neuroscience-discovery-day
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