Science on Tap is a science lecture series where you can sit back, enjoy a pint, and laugh while you learn. Listen to experts talk about the science in your neighborhood and around the world. You don’t have to be a science geek to have fun—all you need is a thirst for knowledge!
November 13th at 7pm
MAKING MEMORIES: USING NEUROSCIENCE TO ENHANCE TEACHING AND LEARNING
How does your brain learn best? As the field of Neuroscience uncovers the neural mechanisms of perception and learning, can we begin to bring these findings into the classroom to help improve how students learn? Right before the school year begins, this Science on Tap will discuss the brain’s learning networks, their emotional connections and how the visual and motor pathways influence what we process. Join us as Dr. Mark Pitzer demonstrates of how each brain circuit can be recruited by instructors to improve teaching and learning in and out of the classroom and how neuroscience can make learning truly memorable.
Mark Pitzer, Ph.D. is a Neuroscientist at the University of Portland. For the last 25 years he has worked to better understand diseases of the brain. He has worked on techniques to improve the survival of newly transplanted brain cells as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease and, more recently, conducted experiments using a genetic technique to halt the production of toxic proteins in the brain as a potential treatment for Huntington’s disease. Currently, his lab is conducting experiments designed to identify the neural circuits and neurotransmitters that play a role in the personality changes that affect those who suffer from Huntington’s disease. Mark is also an award-winning teacher that uses the findings from the fields of Learning and Neuroscience to invoke enduring enthusiasm, curiosity and deep learning in his college students.
This is a repeat of the talk held at the Alberta Rose Theatre in August 2019.
December 4th at 7pm
USING NEUROSCIENCE TO FIGHT RACISM
Racism is a system in which people are treated a particular way based on their race. Racism exists because of racial prejudice, where we make judgements about people based entirely on their race and not on actual experience. Our brains react to people who are different from us within milliseconds. At this Science on Tap, Dr. Larry Sherman, a Professor of Neuroscience, will explore how our brains engage in prejudice, the consequences of prejudice and racism for both racists and people who experience racism in their daily lives, and how understanding these processes suggest ways that we can overcome prejudice and racism in our society.
Larry Sherman is a Professor in the Department of Cell, Developmental and Cancer Biology and in the Neuroscience Graduate Program at the Oregon Health & Science University. He is also the President of the Oregon and Southwest Washington Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience. He has over 90 publications related to brain development and neurological diseases. He serves on numerous US and international scientific review panels and he has made numerous television appearances, discussing various topics related to neuroscience. He has also given hugely popular talks and performances (including playing the piano) around the globe on topics that include music and the brain, the neuroscience of pleasure and love, and the neuroscience of racism. The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and Portland Monthly Magazine recognized Dr. Sherman as one of the “People who are changing our world”. He was also the 2012 Teacher of the Year at the Oregon Health & Science University School of Medicine.
This is a new and expanded version of “You and Your Racist Brain: The Neuroscience of Prejudice” held at the Revolution Hall in October 2016.
7:00 PM