Science Pub - Changing Brains: Nature and Nurture in Human Brain Development and Function October 9, 2008

Come to the October Science Pub to hear about:

Changing Brains: Nature and Nurture in Human Brain Development and Function
with Helen J. Neville, PhD
Thursday, October 9
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Cozmic Pizza http://www.cozmicpizza.com/ 199 W 8th Ave, (inside The Strand @ 8th & Charnelton)
Come early if you want to order food and drinks and get a seat!

How much of our brain development is determined by our experiences, and how much is hardwired into our physiology? By studying an array of people, including deaf and blind individuals, researchers at the Brain Development Lab at the University of Oregon have begun to understand the changeability (i.e., neuroplasticity) of the human brain. Some neural systems appear strongly determined—experience doesn’t alter them at all. Others are highly affected by experience, and a third neural system is capable of change throughout life. Come find out about current research on brain function, including intervention studies with 3- to 5-year-old preschoolers that hope to unravel the learning processes of developing children.

Helen J. Neville, PhD, http://bdl.uoregon.edu/Personnel/people.html?helen is the Robert and Beverly Lewis Endowed Chair and professor of psychology and neuroscience, director of the Brain Development Lab, and director of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Oregon. Her major research interests are the role of biology and experience in neurosensory and neurocognitive development in humans. She has written several books and her work has been widely published in journals, including Nature and Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.

Science Pub is open to anyone and everyone; no RSVP is necessary. Tell your friends. We hope to see you there!

Science Pub is held every second Thursday at Cozmic Pizza and is co-sponsored by OMSI http://www.omsi.edu, University of Oregon’s College of Arts & Sciences http://cas.uoregon.edu, and The Science Factory http://www.sciencefactory.org.

Questions? E-mail sciencepub@omsi.edu or call 503.797.4517.

Official Website: http://www.omsi.edu