MIT Seminar Series for 2014-15- The Human Brain: Research, Progress, and Policy
The Harvard Club has been invited. Register by using this link: www.mitdc.org/seminar
Thirty Third Annual Seminar Series
The Human Brain: Research, Progress, and Policy
Six Monthly Dinner Seminars
October, 2014 through March, 2015
Maggiano's Little Italy Restaurant, 5333 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC
6:15 Cash Bar / 7:00 Dinner / 8:00 Talk and Q&A / 9:30 Adjourn
The MIT Club of Washington DC is pleased to present its 33rd annual Seminar Series on an important national topic related to science, technology, and public policy. Each year, the series offers engineers, scientists, industry leaders, policy makers, and educators an opportunity to explore a specific topic in depth. Both those within and outside the Washington‑area MIT community gain the opportunity to develop a better understanding of recent developments and key issues. Presentations by distinguished speakers are followed by ample time for questions and discussion. The social hour and dinner provide additional opportunities to meet the speakers, renew acquaintances, or join in stimulating discussions with other participants.
PROGRAM
Illnesses and injuries of the brain contribute directly to enormous and increasing human suffering. Advances in understanding the brain and neurological disorders have come steadily in the last few years and are offering significant promises in the near future. Some advances have resulted from technological developments like imaging, and some from basic research into the functioning of the human brain. This Seminar Series will explore both aspects as well as what advances we might expect in diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders and stroke.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014 - Brain Disorders: Research, Progress, and Prospects
Recent advances in technologies and targeted research have improved our understanding of the functioning of the human brain. the potential is high for better diagnosis and treatment of the many disorders that affect our brain and cause serious suffering, including schizophrenia, autism, and Alzheimer's. This session will review these brain disorders and identify the directions being taken by current research.Speaker: Dr. Thomas Insel, Director, National Institute for Mental Health, NIH
Tuesday, November 18, 2014 - Tools for Mapping and Repairing the Brain
Our brains generate our thoughts and feelings and make us who we are. Unfortunately, over a billion people suffer from brain disorders, with few cures, and with treatments partial and presenting side effects. By building new tools for mapping, recording, controlling, and building brain circuits, the Boyden lab is working on technologies that will hopefully reveal philosophically important aspects of the human condition, open up new ways of making intelligent machines, and present new strategies for repairing the brain.
Speaker: Professor Edward Boyden '99, Associate Professor in the MIT Media Lab and McGovern Institute for Brain Research; Joint Professor in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and in the Department of Biological Engineering, MIT
Tuesday, December 9, 2014 - Brain Imaging Applied to Memory and Learning
Imaging of the human brain using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has opened new doors in brain research in recent years. This session will feature an expert on such imaging describing how MRI imaging of the brain has evolved and is being used to study brain mechanisms of human cognition, including memory, thought, and emotion. Professor Gabrieli will also discuss his ongoing research on early detection of dyslexia in children.
Speaker: Professor John Gabrieli '87, Director, Martinos Imaging Center, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, MIT
Tuesday, January 13, 2015 - Mind Reading with Functional Neuroimaging
Recent advances in medical imaging, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), have given psychologists and neuroscientists unprecedented access to the workings of the human mind, no less revolutionary than telescopes for astronomers or microscopes for biologists. Incorporating computational tools from machine learning and network analysis, fMRI can decode what you see, what you remember, and even help predict your mental health or cognitive performance. The increasingly sophisticated ability to decode minds raises important ethical questions concerning mental privacy, biomarkers, fairness, free will, and the neural distinction between life and death.
Speaker: Professor Marvin M. Chun '94, Professor of Psychology, Neurobiology, and Cognitive Science, Master of Berkeley College, Yale University
Tuesday, February 10, 2015 - Alzheimer' Disease Research
Cognitive decline with age is an increasing problem, especially as our population is living longer. There is no cure for Alzheimer's and early detection is extremely limited at present. This session will discuss age-related changes in cognition, disease-related changes of cognition (with a particular focus on Alzheimer's disease), and prospects for improving early diagnosis and treatment.
Speaker: Dr. Marilyn Albert, Director, Division of Cognitive Neuroscience; Director, Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Tuesday, March 10, 2015 - Inside the Teenage Brain
Because a child's brain is 95 percent of its adult size by the age of six, it was thought their cognitive abilities were largely set at fairly early ages. And now we realize that isn't true, that throughout childhood and even in the teen years, there's enormous capacity for change. We think that this capacity for change is very empowering for teens but challenging for parents and others to understand. This area of neuroscience is receiving a great deal of attention to better understand the forces that can guide this plasticity. How do we optimize the brain's ability to learn? Are schools and parents doing a good job? And the challenge now is to bridge the gap between neuroscience and practical advice for parents, teachers, and society. The next step will be: what can you do about it and what can we do to help people? What can we do to help teens optimize the development of their own brain?
Speaker: Dr. Jay Giedd, Child Psychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH
REGISTRATION AND COST INFORMATION
Registration is for the complete series only, although spaces are transferable for individual sessions. The series is open to MIT alums, their guests, and all others interested in the topic. Reservations will be accepted in the order received, up to the capacity limit. Register early to avoid disappointment from oversubscription. Federal employees may submit an approved SF-182 for payment.
The subscription cost of the Seminar Series is $320 per person for members of the MIT Club of Washington DC and their guests and $350 for non-members, including dinner for each session.
QUESTIONS?
For registration questions, contact Ray Daniels. For program questions, contact Ken Gordon.
STEERING COMMITTEE
General Chairman: Kenneth Gordon, Ph.D. Program Committee: Chair Kenneth Gordon, Ph.D., Lynn Garland, Ray Daniels, Robert Hershey, Ph.D., Michael Leavitt, Ph.D., Fred Glave, Ph.D., and John Starke; Treasurer: Mark Joseph; Registration: Ray Daniels, Bernard Paiewonsky, Ph.D.; Publicity: Robert Hershey, Ph.D.