Reminder: Prof. James Giordano,
PhD

To Speak at Arlington "Cafe
Scientifique"

January 11, 2011

 

 

Prof. James Giordano, PhD, Vice President of Academic Programs
at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies (www.potomacinstitute.org) , will present a talk
entitled "Building Brains and Manipulating Minds: Neuroethics and the Future of
Neuroscience," as part of the Arlington Cafe Scientifique series at The Front
Page restaurant on January 11, 2011.

 

The Cafe Scientifique program is an opportunity for science
enthusiasts to gather in an informal setting, enjoy The Front Page restaurant
menu, and hear enlightening science-oriented talks on a variety of topics with a
lively Q and A session afterwards. The program begins at 6:15 pm.  Please note
that although the program usually takes place on the first Tuesday of the month,
this event will take place on January 11. For more information about the Cafe
Scientifique program, click here.

 

Dr. Giordano's talk will examine how the field of neuroscience -
the study of the brain and its function - has made tremendous strides in the
past three decades, due in part to both the use of highly sophisticated
biotechnology, and the convergent focus of other disciplines such as genetics,
engineering and nanoscience, upon neuroscientific issues.  Neuroscience today
strives to address and even answer profound questions about the nature of
cognition, emotion, mind and self, and the causes and reasons for our feelings,
thoughts and behaviors. It has also become a tool through which to enable our
quest for flourishing, and in this way, neuroscience has "come full circle": it
now provides a means to alter the brain, manipulate the mind, and control,
enable and enhance ourselves. These pursuits have also given rise to the new,
yet rapidly growing field of neuroethics. Prof. Giordano's talk will explore the
ways that brain-science can - and will - be used to affect, shape and even
define our daily life.

 

Prof. Giordano is Vice President of Academic Programs and
Director of the Center for Neurotechnology Studies at the Potomac Institute for
Policy Studies. He is a neuroscientist and neuroethicist whose research
addresses the role of neuroscience and technology in medicine, social, and
national defense applications.  He is also a Senior Research Associate of the
Wellcome Centre for Neuroethics and Uehiro Centre for Practical Philosophy,
University of Oxford, Oxford, UK,  University Affiliate Professor of
Neurosciences at the Krasnow Institute for Advanced Studies of George Mason
University, Fairfax, VA, USA, and William H. and Ruth Crane Schaefer
Distinguished Visiting Professor of Neuroscience and Ethics at Gallaudet
University, Washington, DC.