DIY Neuroscience: Mind Reading 101

Saturday, March 28 from 3-6 PM EDT

Sunday, March 29 from 3-6 PM EDT

Today, neuroscientists are developing new technologies to listen to and decipher the electrical activity of neurons in the brain. These technologies are already allowing people to control simple devices with their brains and in the future, may permit us to recall memories stored in the brain, among other things. These innovations fascinate us but also raise ethical concerns.

In this two-part class, you will learn how to use an electroencephalogram (EEG) to collect the ongoing waves of electrical activity in your own brain. Then, you will learn how to interpret this activity and use it to control things in the world. We will conclude with a discussion about the use of such technologies in law and society more generally.

Please bring a laptop with you to each session.

Pia-Kelsey O'Neill (she/her) received a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Columbia University where she measured electrical activity in brain regions important for memory and described how this activity is altered in mouse models of schizophrenia. In addition to teaching at Genspace, she has taught a combination of biology, physics, and earth sciences to Columbia University undergraduate students. Pia-Kelsey currently works as a postdoctoral scientist investigating the neural mechanisms of olfactory learning.

Jozsef Meszaros (he/him) has a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Columbia University. As a law student, Jozsef published independent research in which he explored how neurobiological evidence of physical and psychological abuse could be used to diminish the culpability of some criminal defendants. His Ph.D. thesis focused on measuring dopamine release into the external globus pallidus an area of the brain that is important for refining motor movements. Jozsef currently teaches Citizen Science at Bard College and enjoys developing interactive science curricula for students.

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