Autism Speaks Awareness Weekend was hosted at Tufts this weekend as the men’s basketball team took on visiting Williams College.

By Jason Andrew Park

The Tufts Jumbos men’s basketball team went head-to-head against Williams College on Saturday, falling to the Ephs in an 80-75 nail-biting loss. But Saturday’s game against Williams was unlike any previous game this season – it was also an opportunity to raise awareness on autism as part of a nationwide campaign.

Autism Speaks Awareness Weekend in college basketball, which ran from February 6 to 8 this year, aims to raise awareness and advocates for the needs of families and individuals affected by autism.

“We wanted to raise awareness for the autism research done at [Tufts] medical school and support the athletics team,” said Sarah Mahoney, a current junior and the co-leader of Fan the Fire, a group that aims to bring students together to rally around various causes and the teams that support them.

Fan the Fire, Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM), and Theta Delta Chi, a fraternity at Tufts, jointly organized the autism awareness in college basketball event.

According to Mahoney, more than 200 people attended Saturday’s game, including current students, representatives from TUSM, as well as the university president. Pat Skerry, a Tufts alumnus, started the national campaign in 2014 to highlight autism awareness in NCAA basketball.

“When we learned that our alumnus, Pat Skerry, had started this national program, Tufts wanted to get behind it and show our support. It made perfect sense since we have robust autism research program right here,” said Roxanne Beal, the director of development for Biomedical Science at TUSM. “It made perfect sense to combine this sports event and Pat’s work with what we are doing,” she added.

During an interview, Beal adds that she hopes the event will ultimately highlight the current autism research happening at TUSM. “This is where we are going to find the answers to what is happening in autism and hoping to improve the lives of people who are on the spectrum,” she said.

For Philip Haydon, the Annetta & Gustav Grisard Professor & Chair of the Department of Neuroscience at TUSM, Saturday’s event was a success as it involved the collaboration between researchers, Tufts University, and members of the local community.

“The sum is greater than the individual,” Haydon said, adding that he believes such a strong collaboration between the university and the community is another step towards reaching the goal of understanding autism and improving the lives of those affected by the condition.