Author Archives: landb

MEDIA ADVISORY
November 1, 2012

Contact:
Daniel LaGattuta
(917)-405-0412
daniel.lagattuta@learningandthebrain.com

EDUCATING DIVERSE MINDS: USING INDIVIDUAL BRAIN DIFFERENCES TO TEACH AND REACH ALL LEARNERS

WHAT:
Neuroscience research has found that children’s brains are actually quite diverse and unique and that genes, early adversity, poverty, parenting, culture and education have a greater impact on brain development and learning than once thought.  New research is connecting our understanding about changes in children’s brain structure and function to specific aspects of education, and is beginning to explain how learning experiences reshape the brain networks that support a child’s basic cognitive skills such as paying attention, memory, reading and mathematics. This conference is designed to help educators understand the individual differences in their students’ brains, how these differences affect learning and disorders, and how teaching, intervention, poverty, parents and early experiences change the structure of students’ brains and influence their life-long learning abilities and disabilities.

In support some of these new discoveries, the Learning & the Brain Foundation and the International Mind, Brain, and Education Society (IMBES) will be presenting the 2012 Transforming Education through Neuroscience Award to Neuroscience Researcher Daniel Ansari, PhD, of the University of Western Ontario, during the second day of the conference. The award will be presented by Professor Kurt W. Fischer, Director of the Mind, Brain and Education Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Past President of IMBES.  The award of $5,000 is given annually to a researcher who has made significant contributions to growing field of neuroeducation. Dr. Ansari is being honored for his research contributions to the field of numerical cognition, including discoveries on the brain networks involved in mental arithmetic, brain structure differences in math disorders and the effects of math instruction on brain function. He seeks to both answer scientific questions as well as to generate data that could inform educational challenges such as diagnosis of mathematical difficulties as well as their remediation. Dr. Ansari’s research uses behavioral measures and brain-imaging methods.

WHO:
The program is produced by Public Information Resources, Inc. and is co-sponsored by several organizations including the Mind, Brain and Education Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the Athinoula A. Martinos Imaging Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, and both the national associations of elementary and secondary school principals.  In addition to Dr. Ansari, some of the featured keynote speakers will be:

• John J. Medina, PhD, Director, Brain Center for Applied Learning Research, Seattle Pacific University; Affiliate Professor of Bioengineering, University of Washington School of Medicine; Founder, Talaris Research Institute; Author; Brain Rules for Baby (2012) and Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home and School (2009)
• Dean V. Buonomano, PhD, Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles; Professor, Brain Research Institute, University of California, Los Angeles; Author, Brain Bugs: How the Brain’s Flaws Shape Our Lives (2012)
• Jane M. Healy, PhD, Educational Psychologist; Teacher; Reading and Learning Specialist; Former Adjunct Assistant Professor, Cleveland State University; Author, Different Learners (2011), Your Child’s Growing Mind (2004) and Failure to Connect (1999)

WHEN:
Friday, November 16 through Sunday, November 18, 2012.
Conference Begins 1:30 PM on Friday.
General Registration is $569 through November 2 and $580 after November 2.
Contact Kristin Dunay at 781-449-4010 x 102 for media passes.

WHERE:
Westin Copley Place, Boston, MA

Learning & the Brain® is a series of educational conferences that brings the latest research in neuroscience and psychology and their potential applications to education to the wider educational community. Since its inception in 1999, this series has been attended by more than 30,000 people in Boston, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., New York and Chicago.

MEDIA ADVISORY

February 1, 2012

Contact:
Kristin Dunay
(781)-449-4010 x 102
kristin.dunay@learningandthebrain.com

EDUCATING THE WHOLE CHILD/STUDENT: USING BRAIN RESEARCH FOR SMARTER, HAPPIER AND HEALTHIER LEARNERS

WHAT:
Cognitive neuroscience and social science research is finding that the most successful students are those who are happy, self-regulated, social, intellectually challenged, active, compassionate, mindful, moral and healthy.
More than 1,400 educators are gathering at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco to learn about the latest research on the brain and emotions, positive mindsets, happiness, resilience, stress, intelligence, exercise, play and social-emotional learning from more than 45 national experts.
The opening keynote address by Daniel Siegel, MD,will set the tone for the educational conference. He will share an exciting new approach to raising children, using a brain research basis and case examples. Clinical Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, Dr. Siegel is the author of the Whole Child/Brain (2011), Mindsight (2010) andThe Mindful Brain (2007).

WHO:

The program is co-sponsored by several organizations, including the School of Education, Stanford University, Greater Good Science Center, University of California, Berkeley, the Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, and both the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) and the NASSP (formerly the National Association of Secondary School Principals). The program will provide professional development credit.
Some of the featured keynote speakers, who will discuss using brain science to ensure smarter, happier, healthier and moral learners, include:

• David A. Walsh, Ph.D.,Psychologist; Faculty, University of Minnesota; Founder, Mind Positive Parenting; Author, Smart Parenting, Smarter Kids: The One Brain Book You Need to Help Your Child Grow Brighter, Healthier and Happier (2011)
• Patricia S. Churchland, BPhil,Professor Emerita, Philosophy Department, University of California, San Diego; Author, Braintrust: What Neuroscience Tells Us about Morality (2011) and Brain-Wise: Studies in Neurophilosophy (2002)
• Michael I. Posner, PhD, Professor Emeritus, University of Oregon; Former Adjunct Professor, Weill Medical College, Cornell University; Author, Attention in a Social World (2012) and Cognitive Neuroscience of Attention (2011); Co-Author, Educating the Human Brain (2006)
• Christine L. Carter, PhD, Director, Parenting Programs, Greater Good Science Center, University of California, Berkeley; Blogger, Psychology Today; Author, Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents (2011)
• Daniel J. Siegel, MD,Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, School of Medicine; Co-Director, The Mindful Awareness Research Center, University of California, Los Angeles; Co- Author, The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind, Survive Everyday Parenting Struggles, and Help Your Family Thrive (2011)

WHEN:

Thursday, February 16, 2012- Saturday, February 18, 2012. Conference begins 1:15 PM on Thursday.
General Registration is $565 through February 3 and $580 after February 3.
Contact Kristin Dunay at 781-449-4010 x 102 for media passes

WHERE:

Historic Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco, CA

Learning & the Brain^® is a series of educational conferences that brings the latest research in neuroscience and psychology and their potential applications to education to the wider educational community. Since its inception in 1999, the series has been attended by more than 30,000 people in Boston, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., New York and Chicago.

MEDIA ADVISORY

November 1, 2011
Contact: Kristin Dunay
(781)-449-4010 x 102
kristin.dunay@learningandthebrain.com

PREPARING 21st CENTURY MINDS: BRAIN RESEARCH TO ENHANCE COGNITIVE SKILLS FOR THE FUTURE

WHAT:

Attendees will have the chance to hear more than 40 experts discuss how schools and teachers can provide the cognitive skills students will need to succeed in the new global economy. To compete, today’s students must adjust to rapid technological and social changes, navigate vast flows of information and learn to work collaboratively with diverse individuals and cultures. Experts will discuss some of the cognitive skills, tools, teaching techniques, and 21st Century curriculum schools can incorporate to better prepare students to succeed in the new millennium.

During the first day of the conference, Professor Helen Neville of the University of Oregon will receive the 2011 Transforming Education through Neuroscience Award, which is awarded jointly by the Learning & the Brain Foundation and the International Mind, Brain, and Education Society (IMBES). The award will be presented by Professor Kurt W. Fischer, Director of the Mind, Brain and Education Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Past President of IMBES. The award of $5,000 is given annually to a senior researcher, or an up-and-coming researcher, who has made significant contributions to growing field of neuroeducation. Dr. Neville is being honored for her research contributions to the field of human brain development and the role of experience on neurocognitive development, neurolinguistics and neuro-training in attention in children and adults. Her research uses behavioral measures and event-related brain potentials (ERPs), and structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

WHO:

The program is produced by Public Information Resources, Inc. and is co-sponsored by several organizations including the Mind, Brain and Education Program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the Athinoula A. Martinos Imaging Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, and both the national associations of elementary and secondary school principals. Some of the featured keynote speakers will be:

• Howard Gardner, Ph.D., John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Adjunct Professor of Psychology, Harvard University; Senior Director, Harvard Project Zero; Winner of the MacArthur Prize; Author, The Unschooled Mind (2011), Five Minds for the Future (2009), Multiple Intelligences: New Horizons (2006) and many other titles.
• Helen Neville, Ph.D., Director, Brain Development Lab; Director, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience; Robert and Beverly Lewis Endowed Chair; Professor of Psychology, Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon;
• Edward M. Hallowell, M.D., Child and Adult Psychiatrist; Founder of The Hallowell Center for Cognitive and Emotional Health; Former Faculty, Harvard Medical School; Author, Shine: Using Brain Science to Get the Best from Your People (2011), Overloaded Circuits (2009), Superparenting for ADD (2008) and CrazyBusy (2006)

WHEN:

Friday, November 18, 2011-Sunday, November 20,2011.
Conference Begins 1:30 PM on Friday.
General Registration is $565 through November 4 and $580 after November 4.
Contact Kristin Dunay at 781-449-4010 x 102 for media passes.

WHERE:

Westin Boston Waterfront, Boston, MA
Learning & the Brain® is a series of educational conferences that brings the latest research in neuroscience and psychology and their potential applications to education to the wider educational community. Since its
inception in 1999, the series has been attended by more than 30,000 people in Boston, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., New York and Chicago.

For more information about the conference, visit us at www.learningandthebrain.com.

March 16, 2009 — A pioneering researcher who studies cognitive and emotional development and learning from birth through adulthood has been awarded the second annual prize for “Transforming Education through Neuroscience.” Announced on Feb. 21 at the 22nd meeting of the Learning & the Brain conference, a national interdisciplinary scientific and education conference in San Francisco, the $5,000 award will be used to further partnerships between educators and neuroscientists.”

The winner, is Kurt Fischer, a Harvard University professor and the director of the Harvard Graduate School of Education,’s Mind, Brain and Education program.  He is founding president of the International, Mind, Brain and Education Society (“IMBES”) and founding editor of Mind, Brain and Education.
“There is no one more deserving of the Transforming Education through Neuroscience award than Kurt Fischer,” says Dr. Charles Nelson III, neuroscientist and professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.  “He is without a doubt the leader in the emerging field of brain and education. Prof. Fischer is a beacon of light for those striving to meld the brain sciences with the field of education.”

Awarded at the 22nd meeting of the Learning & the Brain conference, a conference series that promotes the most innovative and distinguished thinking on the subject, the prize is awarded annually. The award was established by Learning & the Brain and IMBES to honor an individual who represents excellence in bridging neuroscience and education, that is, applying the findings of hard science, such as fMRIs, to the improvement of classroom teaching and learning.  The award will also be presented at the bi-annual meeting of IMBES in Philadelphia at the end of May.

The award was presented by Dr. Kenneth Kosik, co-director of the Neuroscience Research Institute at the University of California at Santa Barbara.  Dr. Kosik said, “More than a decade ago when we founded the Learning & the Brain conference, Kurt Fischer was already thinking about linking education and neuroscience.  This award recognizes his steadfast vision that neuroscience research can enhance education in our schools.”

Dr. David Daniel, associate professor of psychology at James Madison University, who is on the board of directors of IMBES, also praised Dr. Fischer.  “Kurt has worked tirelessly to cultivate an inclusive infrastructure essential to the success of the emerging field of Mind, Brain and Education.”

In addition to Dr. Fischer’s research, discussions at the February 2009 Learning & the Brain conference focused on the role of the social brain in learning.  The conference organizer was Public Information Resources, Inc. (PIRI) in Needham, MA. The next Learning & the Brain conference is May 7-9, 2009, in Washington, DC and will focus on the creative brain.