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Frontiers of Brain Science
Frontiers of Brain ScienceThe Kavli Science Journalism Workshop
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In recent years the brain sciences have exploded, and many scientists now say they are beginning to understand mental processes that once seemed beyond comprehension.
Keeping up with it all and describing it accurately to the public is one of the toughest challenges facing science journalists. Many have only a sketchy understanding of the basics of neurons and nervous systems. Many want help in sorting out the welter of claims and counterclaims. Are there really genes for specific behaviors? Can damaged brains be repaired?
To help journalists make sense of all this, the Knight Science Journalism Fellowships, with funding from the Kavli Foundation, is offering a three-day course on the basics of brain science. This will be an intensive workshop—all day every day—devoted primarily to lecture and discussion.
The Workshop will begin with an introduction to the brain, the nervous system and nerve cells. Then we’ll look at specific issues—learning and memory, cognition, behavior and genetics, Alzheimer’s, mental illness. Finally, we’ll explore current research on the nature of consciousness.
Researchers from MIT, Harvard and other institutions will teach. The class will be limited to 15 journalists, and the schedule allows plenty of time for questions and discussion.
Monday, June 16 |
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6:00–9:00pm |
Welcoming Dinner at The Blue Room, Kendall Square |
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Tuesday, June 17 |
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9:00–12:00 |
Organization of the brain, John Dowling |
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1:30–3:00 |
How neurons and synapses work, John Dowling |
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3:15–5:00 |
How the developing nervous system gets wired up, Mriganka Sur |
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Wednesday, June 18 |
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9:00–11:30 |
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Theory of Mind: How one brain understands what another thinks, Rebecca Saxe |
1:00–3:00 |
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How are memories stored, Matt Wilson |
3:15–5:15 |
Mapping the mind: Localization of specific brain functions, Nancy Kanwisher |
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Thursday, June 19 |
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9:00–10:30 |
Connectomics: Mapping all the brain's circuitry, Jeff Lichtman |
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10:45–12:30 |
Repairing the damage that causes epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, and autism, Ed Boyden |
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1:30–3:30 |
The neural basis of consciousness , Dan Pollen |
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Ed Boyden, professor at MIT's Media Lab and leader of the neuroengineering and neuromedia group. His lab is developing tools to analyze and re-engineer brain circuits and to devise new approaches for solving major neurological and psychiatric problems.
John Dowling, professor of neuroscience, Harvard University. He is the author of one of the leading textbooks in the field, Neurons and Networks: An Introduction to Behavioral Neuroscience. He uses artificially mutated zebrafish to discover genes involved in development of the nervous system.
Nancy Kanwisher, investigator at MIT's McGovern Institute and professor of cognitive neuroscience. Kanwisher has discovered several specific regions of the brain specialized for recognizing faces, places and bodies.
Jeff Lichtman,
Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology at Harvard University. He is involved in the emerging field of "connectomics," which attempts to map all the synaptic connections among neurons in the brain.
Daniel Pollen, professor of neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical Center. Pollen, who teaches "Conscious Experience: Image, Space, and Self" at Harvard, is studying the neurological basis of consciousness, focusing on visual perception.
Rebecca Saxe, assistant professor of neurobiology in MIT’s Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. She studies social cognition including the “theory of mind,” how one mind can understand what another is thinking and how concepts and beliefs are formed, stored and deployed in the human mind.
Mriganka Sur, professor of neuroscience and head of MIT's Department of Brain and Cognitive Science. Sur's lab studies neural plasticity, the way the brain wires, unwires and rewires itself during fetal development and in adulthood.
Matthew Wilson, professor in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and MIT’s Picower Institute for Learning and Memory. He studies how memories are stored in rats, including the role of sleep and dreaming as a means of transferring new memories to long-term storage.
A list of the journalists chosen to attend the workshop can be found here.
All application materials must be received by April 15. Fifteen journalists will be selected to attend The Kavli Brain Science Workshop. Winners will be announced by May 15. If selected, we will reimburse you for up to $500 of your travel expenses to Cambridge, provide your accommodation, and provide most meals during your stay. The Workshop begins with dinner on the evening of Monday, June 16 and runs through Thursday, June 19. Participants are required to attend all sessions.
This workshop and our others held each June are funded by the Kavli Foundation and the Knight Science Journalism Fellowships. Selection of speakers and journalists is done by the Fellowships alone.
If you have questions about your eligibility, have general questions about the program, or would like to receive an application by mail, you can:
