Aging begins the moment we are born, as internal and external factors work together to rapidly shape our human experience. Which physiological and psychological factors contribute to cognitive development in youth, and which contribute to degradation as we age? Where do biological and cultural components meet and overlap to shape our cognition, and how does aging affect brain development and memory? Can we actively impact our own brain plasticity?
At this exclusive GCRI event, Eric Kandel, who received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 2000, will address the nature of learning and brain plasticity, plasticity in the young, and age-related memory loss in the elderly. Ursula Staudinger, Vice President of the Jacobs University Bremen and Founding Dean of the Jacobs Center on Lifelong Learning and Institutional Development, will discuss her research on the continuous interaction between biology and culture and its impacts on cognition, using empirical examples of our impressive plasticity. Dr. György Buzsáki, Board of Governors Professor of Neuroscience Rutgers University, will moderate a discussion with the audience. Busso von Alvensleben, Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany, New York, will deliver the opening address.
Hosted in cooperation with the Jacobs University Bremen, the event is by invitation only. If you are interested in attending, please write to events(at)germaninnovation.org by Tuesday, October 11. A video recording of the event will be available on www.germaninnovation.org shortly after October 13. An interview with Professor Staudinger will be published in the upcoming GCRI Newsletter on October 25, 2011.
The German Center for Research and Innovation, www.GermanInnovation.org, provides information and support for the realization of cooperative and collaborative projects between North America and Germany. With the goal of enhancing communication on the critical challenges of the 21st century, the GCRI hosts a wide range of events from lectures and exhibitions to workshops and science dinners. Opened in February 2010, the GCRI was created as a cornerstone of the German government’s initiative to internationalize science and research and is one of five centers worldwide.
