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Robert Boyle summer school to explore the human brain and intersection with creativity
The
Robert Boyle
Summer School returns from June 5th to 8th with an invitation to science enthusiasts, curious minds and culture lovers alike to explore the brain; it's the most complex and wonderful instrument known in the universe and every human has one.
Celebrated as a science festival for everyone, not just scientists, the 13th summer school blends thought-provoking talks with cultural activities in
Waterford
City and Lismore, including a garden party in the magnificent surroundings of Lismore Castle, the birthplace in 1627 of Boyle, one of the founders of modern science.
'Building on the success of January's winter school at the RDS, this year's programme features a stellar line-up of leading thinkers from neuroscience, psychology, psychiatry and the arts promising a weekend of inspiring dialogue, discovery and connection,' said festival director Dr Eoin Gill of Calmast in the South East Technological University (SETU).
One of the world's foremost experts on neuroscience and behaviour, Prof Ray Dolan of University College London, will reflect on the late Irish neuroscientist
Eleanor Maguire
's groundbreaking study of London taxi drivers. Her research famously showed that navigation experience physically reshapes the adult brain – a landmark finding in neuroscience.
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Prof Colin Doherty, a consultant neurologist at St James's Hospital and head of TCD School of Medicine, will explore 'the neurobiology of drawing'; blending his expertise in neurology and his lifelong passion for art to reveal how the brain processes creativity and expression.
Prof Luke Gibbons of Maynooth University will investigate how critical responses to Darwin were shaped by cultural as well as religious and scientific factors. This will include Irish responses, notably in James Joyce's Ulysses and related 'Celtic' interventions, which emphasised co-operation rather than competition as driving forces in evolution.
The Science of the Superhuman will be presented by Dr David Delany of SETU, unveiling a radical new theory of intelligence and how we might train ourselves to unlock extraordinary cognitive potential.
Clinical psychiatrist Prof Veronica O'Keane will explore the neuroscience of human memory and conscious experience, while Dr Nora Salaberry of Calmast will host an interactive session on perception, offering an interesting insight into how our brains interpret the world.
SETU president Prof Veronica Campbell will open the academic sessions on June 6th. She has had a distinguished career in neuropharmacology. In 1998, she joined TCD, where, in addition to working in cell biology, pharmacology and tissue engineering, she was inaugural chair of its Global Brain Health Institute.
Booking and further information is at
