Synopsis:

We are on the cusp of a broad revolution, one with startling implications for perception, cognition, emotion, and indeed, personal identity. Still in its relative infancy, this rapidly progressing field is poised to move from perceptual aids such as cochlear implants to devices that will enhance and speed up thought to the ultimate goal of researchers, that of downloading the mind from its bound state in the body to a platform-independent existence. Neuroengineering draws on the fields of computational neuroscience, experimental neuroscience, clinical neurology, electrical engineering and signal processing of living neural tissue, and encompasses elements from robotics, cybernetics, computer engineering, neural tissue engineering, materials science, and nanotechnology. Prominent goals in the field include restoration and augmentation of human function via direct interactions between the nervous system and artificial devices. This brief survey covers the science that will make these transformations possible. It begins by describing very briefly how the brain works from an engineering point of view, including an overview of the architecture of the brain. It then examines the current state-of-the-art neural technologies, including devices that read from the brain, and devices that can write information into the brain. It also describes how insights from the nascent field of consciousness studies show how the full transfer of the soul could be realized. Finally, it considers what it would be like to be a mind unbound, and the possibilities beyond those found in ordinary corporeal life.

About the Speaker:

Synopsis:

Concerned with the diminishing social cohesion in Iranian social life, Professor Seifzadeh will de-construct some of the key tendencies of Iranian culture in three domains of mind, social context, and behavior. Dr. Seifzadeh will provide an analysis of our existential social psyche in a nation long in history and cultural influences. The main question, thus, becomes whether or not as a thriving community, we –as Iranians-are able to reconcile the cosmopolitan demands of a post-modern era and globalization with that which is uniquely Iranian.

About the Speaker:

Synopsis:

Obesity is a rising modern pandemic: today more than one-third of the American adults are obese, and another third are overweight. While the rising trends in the prevalence of obesity seem to have reached a plateau in the US and some European countries, many developing countries are still experiencing a surge. The rise in the prevalence of childhood obesity has probably been faster, with the rates almost tripling in the US since 1980, and reaching 16.9% among children and adolescents in 2010. In the year 2010, almost 43 million preschool children were obese, and almost 80% of them lived in developing countries. Obesity, directly or indirectly, is responsible for a large proportion of the leading causes of preventable death including heart disease, stroke, and certain types of cancer. Obesity and diabetes are very closely related as parts of a spectrum called “the metabolic syndrome”, and thus are sometimes referred to as “diabesity”. This presentation reviews the epidemiology of “diabesity”, its complications and prevention, from a public health perspective.

About the Speaker: