UPDATE: The event involving Rep. Blumenauer has been rescheduled. Details below.
WHAT:
The OHSU Brain Institute at Oregon Health & Science University will host its annual Brain Awareness Season lecture series, starting with two virtual events in March, followed by a special event on May 13 featuring a conversation with Congressman Earl Blumenauer, a longtime advocate for neuroscience research who is retiring from the U.S. House of Representatives after 27 years of service. The annual event started in 2000, and is one of the largest of its kind in the United States, drawing thousands of participants including brain care experts, researchers and community members interested in the brain.
In addition, the OHSU Brain Institute will host two other related events, also free and open to the public:
- An online Teacher Workshop from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 16, designed to provide insight about the role neuroscience and early life nutrition and wellness play in the classroom.
- The annual Brain Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 6, at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), 1945 S.E. Water St., in Portland.
LECTURE DETAILS:
Noon on Monday, March 11: Hearing and the Brain: From Hair Cells to Hearing Restoration
Two scientists affiliated with the Oregon Hearing Research Center at OHSU will explore how the brain translates vibrations into sound and innovative approaches to address hearing loss. Angela Garinis, Ph.D., CCC-A, an assistant professor of otolaryngology in the OHSU School of Medicine and a principal investigator at the VA Portland Health Care System’s National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, studies the role of a class of antibiotics known as aminoglycosides in the loss of hearing and balance.
Laurence Trussell, Ph.D., a senior scientist at the OHSU Vollum Institute, studies the mechanisms of auditory signaling in the brain.
Click here to register and receive the live-stream link.
Noon on Monday, March 18: Emerging Insights into the Cellular Causes and Clinical Treatments for Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a devastating and heritable neurodevelopmental disorder affecting 1 in 100 people worldwide. Arpiar “Arpy” Saunders, Ph.D., assistant scientist in the OHSU Vollum Institute, recently earned a Rising Star Award for his innovative work in developing novel brain mapping technologies to study synaptic “rewiring” that might occur in animal models carrying gene mutations associated with schizophrenia.
George Keepers, M.D., Elda V. Carruthers professor and chair of psychiatry in the OHSU School of Medicine, chairs the American Psychiatric Associations writing group that published the most recent guideline for treating schizophrenia.
Click here to register and receive the live-stream link.
Rescheduled date: 7 p.m. on Monday, May 13: Celebrating a Neuroscience Legacy: A Conversation with Congressman Earl Blumenauer
U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Portland, in 2010 established the Congressional Neuroscience Caucus to enhance policies that support research and dissemination of discoveries, and in 2013 was a key advocate in establishing the National Institutes of Health’s BRAIN Initiative to accelerate development of neurotechnologies.
He will be joined by Bonnie Nagel, Ph.D., senior associate vice president for research at OHSU, to reflect on his legacy and what to expect in the future of federal funding support. Opening remarks will be made by John Ngai, Ph.D., director of the BRAIN Initiative.
Click here to register and receive the live-stream link.