What is CENA?
The Center for Educational Neuroscience Applications (CENA) is a Bridgewater State University initiative dedicated to exploring how research about the brain, behavior, learning, and development can inform educational practice.
CENA was founded through the vision and generosity of Dr. David A. Sousa ’60, a distinguished Bridgewater State University graduate, educator, author, and internationally recognized leader in educational neuroscience. A longtime science educator, Dr. Sousa has devoted much of his career to translating research about the brain into practical knowledge for educators. Through CENA, his vision continues at BSU by creating opportunities for the university community to engage with emerging research and consider its implications for teaching and learning.
Bridgewater State University has deep roots in educator preparation, making CENA a natural home for interdisciplinary conversations about how people learn. While educational neuroscience has particular relevance for faculty and students preparing to work in schools, its applications extend across disciplines, including special education, speech-language pathology, psychology, health professions, and other fields concerned with learning, development, and human behavior.
CENA brings this work to the BSU community near and far by sponsoring invited speakers, workshops, and other learning opportunities focused on brain-behavior research and its applications to education. These events create opportunities for faculty, librarians, students, educators, and community members to engage with researchers and practitioners and explore how neuroscience findings can meaningfully inform teaching and learning. CENA events are free and open to the public, extending these conversations beyond the university community.
CENA also supports BSU faculty and librarians in pursuing their own professional learning, scholarship, and research in educational neuroscience through the David A. Sousa ’60 Faculty Research and Development Fund.
CENA’s Mission:
Promote Inclusive excellence through the application of neuroscience across all BSU programs of study and the community at large.
CENA's Vision:
Develop a community of scholars dedicated to the application of neuroscience in education and related disciplines to enhance the use and understanding of evidence-based approaches in the education, clinical experiences, and student growth at BSU and in our surrounding learning communities.