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September: Alzheimer’s Awareness Month with Stall Catchers

Activity Type

Computer-based friendly competition

Topic

Human health & medicine, Alzheimer’s disease research, online gaming

Audience

Teens, Adults, Families, Intergenerational groups

Location

Indoors

Materials

Each participant needs an internet-connected tablet or computer

Low Tech Options

Encourage participants to bring their own devices. This project is 100% online.

Program Description

Host a friendly intergenerational “Catchathon” at your library featuring Stall Catchers, SciStarter’s most popular citizen science project.

Stall Catchers offers a unique opportunity to accelerate Alzheimer’s disease research through a simple online game. Participants watch short videos of blood vessels in the brains of mice and learn how to identify stalled blood flow. Every classification helps researchers better understand Alzheimer’s disease and answer new research questions.

As the facilitator, you will help participants create or log in to their accounts, answer questions as they get started, and display the leaderboard throughout the event. Keep the competition fun by recognizing top contributors with small prizes or other incentives.

Facilitator Tip: Create a team before your event so participants compete on a shared leaderboard. See Learn How to Create and Share a Team below for instructions and faqs.

Prep & Flow based on a 1 hour event

5 min – Review the project protocol on SciStarter
10 min – Create your own account to practice and (optional) create a team
5 min – Room set up (this will vary based on the capacity to share your Stall Catchers screen on a projector)

5-10 min – Set the Stage
15 min – Guided instruction and practice (includes account set up)
30 min – Informal Q&A, friendly competition* through active participation
5 min – Close out and share how to participate from home

*Incentive suggestions: Certificate recognizing the “Top Stall Catcher,” Free used book from the Friends of the Library bookstore, Sticker or button (see SciStarter designs), Brain teaser/puzzle book, Gift card.

No prior experience is needed—just curiosity. Participants of all ages can contribute to real Alzheimer’s research while learning how citizen science advances medical discovery.

Recommended Project

online game on mobile device — Credit: Stall Catchers

Stall Catchers

Help accelerate Alzheimer’s disease research by playing an online game that identifies stalled (blocked) blood vessels in the brains of mice.

Anytime

Indoors

Game, Health & Medicine, Brain science

Learn More

Program Resources

Event Recipe Card – A short slide deck that walks through a potential event flow from beginning to end.
Printable set up instructions – Step-by-step instructions for creating participant accounts. You may also create shared or guest accounts for patrons who prefer to participate anonymously.
Take Home Flyer – Print copies for attendees and encourage continued participation after the event.
Learn how to create and share a team – Create a team to display a leaderboard for your event participants only. If you don’t create a team, set the leaderboard filters to “Catchers” and “Today” to show your event’s most recent participants.
Alzheimer’s Disease Reading List – Share this reading list to encourage deeper understanding of the disease.

An Introduction from the Project Leader

Start your event with this short video introducing Stall Catchers and explaining how participants contribute to Alzheimer’s disease research.

Acts of Science: Connected – Game Night for Science

Watch this recorded “Catchathon,” where libraries and community organizations joined the Stall Catchers team and SciStarter for a live citizen science event.

Working with Girl Scouts?

The Stall Catchers citizen science project has it’s very own Girl Scouts patch! Learn more about it here.

Complimentary Projects & Resources

September is also a great time to explore pollinator projects as activity begins to slow for the season. For additional ideas, check out our June program plans featuring Pollinator Week and our July plans featuring night-shift pollinators.