Science for You: News & Events

WICN Public Lecture Series - Bangor University

The Wales Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience (WICN) invites members of the public to its series of captivating free lectures. The lectures will explore themes and issues in the exciting field of cognitive neuroscience and feature leading Bangor scientists speaking about their own current, cutting-edge work.

"Darwin, Mendel, and Dewey: Evolution, Genes and Education "

Prof. Brian Byrne, Atho Ymchwil Seicoleg/Research Professor of Psychology
Prifysgol New England, New South Wales/University of New England, New South Wales

Dydd Iau 24 Mehefin 2010, 6.30pm, Thursday, 24 June 2010,
Prif Ddarlithfa’r Celfyddydau (MALT) Main Arts Lecture Theatre, Prifysgol Bangor University

Darwin’s theory of evolution and Mendel’s theory of inheritance have spawned two subspecies of Psychology, Evolutionary Psychology and Behavioural Genetics. As yet, neither of these fields has penetrated far into the theories and practices of Education, and in this presentation Prof. Byrne joins a small number of researchers whose goal is to remedy this situation. Here are some of the questions that thinking about evolution and genetics can illuminate:

Why is motivating students to listen to their teachers more of a problem than persuading them to believe their teachers?

Why might students of physics be more adept at reasoning about the motion of particles than the motion of solid bodies?

In a crowded school curriculum, what subjects should be given priority?

Why do children find it easier to learn to talk than to read, when the rules of grammar are seemingly so complex and the rules relating print to speech seemingly so straightforward?

Because reading difficulties are known to run in families, shouldn’t parents foster literacy in the home earlier and more intensively?

  When it comes to differences in students’ achievement in school subjects, how much difference do teachers really make?

He hopes to show that Education has nothing to fear and a good deal to gain from exploring evolutionary and genetic perspectives.

Mae croeso i bawb! Am ragor o wybodaeth, cysylltwch â swyddfa’r Sefydliad Niwrowyddoniaeth Wybyddol Cymru: 01248 383811, wicn@bangor.ac.uk

Everyone is welcome! For more information contact the Wales Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience office: 01248 383811, wicn@bangor.ac.uk

Swansea University Seminar Series

Seminars are regularly held in the Department, on Tuesday afternoons. For more information, please visit: http://www.swan.ac.uk/human_sciences/Psychology/NewsandSeminars/Seminars/

WICN SUMMER SCHOOL PROGRAMMES

WICN Summer School 2010 in Swansea

Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience: Insights from EEG

Wednesday 7th July to Friday 9th July 2010, Swansea University

Open to all WICN members from Bangor, Cardiff and Swansea Univerisities, the summer school will offer a tutorial, lectures, workshops and poster session, all towards understanding and applying a range of EEG applications.

You can download the full programme and application form here.

The deadline for registration is 9 June 2010.

For more information contact Dr Cris Izura (c.izura@swansea.ac.uk) or Dr Simon Dymond (s.o.dymond@swansea.ac.uk).

AND A LITTLE LATER IN THE YEAR....

WICN Summer School 2010 in Bangor

The Visceral Mind: A Hands-on Course in the Neuroanatomy of Cognition

Monday 6th September to Friday 10th September 2010, Bangor University

There is no substitute for the life changing experience of dissecting the human brain, and no better way to learn, by both sight and touch, the three-dimensional brain.

The School of Psychology at Bangor University offers a one-week course in functional gross neuroanatomy based on hands-on practica; neurological patient case conferences, brain dissections, scan reviews and lesion analysis labs. The course systematically integrates the different practica to provide a systematic curriculum in the fundamentals of functional neuroanatomy for cognitive neuroscience.

The programme is open to applicants world-wide from any institution, but priority will be given to those from outside the United States. Bursaries are available for course fees and travel assistance.

The deadline for applications is 15 May 2010.

For more information contact Prof. Bob Rafal at visceralmind@bangor.ac.uk or visit our visceral mind summer school website for more information, provisional syllabus and the online application form.

Science Cafe Wales

Each month Science Café Wales have a leading expert in their field give a brief introductory talk followed by a friendly informal chat. You can sit back, relax with a drink in your hand and listen or get involved in the discussion and debate.

The Cardiff Science Cafe takes place in the Cafe Bar at The Gate, Keppoch St, Roath, CF24
3JW (just off City Road), on the first Tuesday of the month at 7.30 pm. The most recent talk was "A bird’s eye view of the world: A sideways look", Dr Jonathan Erichsen, Cardiff University, 2nd March.

The Bangor Science Cafe usually runs on the first Wednesday of the month at the Blue Sky Cafe, High Street, Bangor. The most recent talk was "The neuroscience of why we believe things that aren't true", Dr. Oliver Turnbull, Bangor University, 3rd March.

The Swansea Science Cafe usually runs on the last Wednesday of the month in the Dylan Thomas Centre, Somerset Place, Swansea. The next talk will be "Natural Prawn Killers: Shrimp Vaccination, Why Bother?",
Adam Powell, Swansea University, Wednesday 31st March at 7.30 pm.

WICN Graduate School - an online resource and exchange programme

The WICN Education task group has launched the *WICN Graduate School*. The aim of this resource is to allow graduate students in any one centre to benefit from resources in the other centres. It is aimed at both PhD and masters students. For more information, please visit: http://graduateschool.wicn.ac.uk

Past Events

Cardiff Workshop Day at Barry Comprehensive School

On 7th February, the Cardiff University School of Psychology and CUBRIC (Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre) played host to 16 Psychology AS-level students from Barry Sixth Form. A day of workshops, lab tours and Q&A sessions was organized and run by WICN and CUBRIC staff as part of the WICN schools outreach program. The aim of the day was to show students how exciting and important - as well as scientific - current research in Psychology is, by introducing them to cutting-edge research methods and findings. Tours and demos of MRI, MEG and EEG facilities, along with short presentations and mini-experiments, helped the students understand how Psychologists are "mapping the mind" and revealing what happens in the brain when we see things and feel emotions.

The students were clearly impressed by the high-tech gadgetry on show in CUBRIC and commented that it was interesting "to hear about the methods they use to discover different things about the brain" and "experience seeing how technology can find out such unique things". They also thoroughly enjoyed the Q&A session, where they got the chance to grill undergraduate and postgraduate students on what life at University is really like. One student said "I was unsure of a lot of factors with University, but this helped clear some things up for me". The class teacher thought the experience was "a fabulous opportunity for students to see a real Psychology Department, have an insight into University life and broaden their understanding of Psychology."

Similar events, supported by the School of Psychology, the BA (British Association for the Advancement of Science) and WAG will take place during National Science and Engineering Week.

Leading the way in Neuroscience: In Wales and in the world

An organization which places Wales' world-class neuroscience research even more firmly on an international stage was launched on Wednesday evening 28 November 2007, when invited guests and the public attended the launch of The Wales Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience (WICN) at the Oriel of the Senedd Building, National Assembly of Wales, Cardiff.

Building on existing world-renowned expertise in psychology at Bangor, Cardiff and Swansea universities, the Welsh Assembly Government has invested over £5 million to establish the new multi-centre Wales Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience (WICN). Although Wales may be small in size, the instituted draws together psychologists from three of the top psychology departments in Europe. These three faculties, home to over 250 academics and researchers, have brought in approximately £11 million in grants in just the last three years, and it is anticipated that this investment will strengthen Wales' position internationally in the study and application of cognitive and clinical neuroscience.
Scanner arrives in Bangor!new scanner arrives!

The School of Psychology took delivery of a 3T MRI scanner, its latest piece of state-of-the art, multi-million pound research equipment, on 30th January this year. As you can see from the pictures and video clip the scanner was craned into the building in a delicate operation, watched by intrigued staff from the School Psychology. This was the culmination of the 4.6 ton scanner's 3 day non-stop journey across Europe from the factory in Holland.

The Philips Achieva 3 Tesla MRI scanner is the first of its kind to be installed in the UK and will have a significant impact on cognitive neuroscience in Bangor and across Wales through WICN. This latest model offers cutting-edge capacities in MR imaging, including advanced software and hardware packages for Neuroscience applications. The scanner is now fully installed and undergoing testing while local users are being trained on its easy-to-use interface.

Dr Paul Downing of the School of Psychology commented, "In a short while the system will be up and running for cognitive neuroscience studies in the areas of attention, object recognition, motor control, working memory, language, eye movements, and executive function. We envision integrating in-scanner EEG and transcranial magnetic stimulation equipment to enable multimodal investigations of brain function."

Information on the technical specification of the scanner and examples of the spectacular clinical images it is capable of producing are available on the Philips site.

For further information on News & Events please contact

Donna Pierz-Fennell
School of Psychology, Bangor University,
T. 01248 383811
E. wicn@bangor.ac.uk

Cath Hortop,
School of Psychology, Cardiff University
T.02920 876707
E. wicn@bangor.ac.uk