Oliver Sacks: His Own Life
Schedule
Tue, 26 May, 2026 at 06:30 pm
UTC-06:00Location
2469 Calle de Guadalupe, Mesilla, NM, United States, New Mexico 88046 | Mesilla, NM
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Oliver Sacks: His Own LifeMay 26 6:30pm
Part of our Science on Screen Series
The Fountain Theatre is proud to bring back Science on Screen® for another year of programming in 2026. Science on Screen® creatively pairs screenings of classic, cult, and documentary films with lively introductions by notable figures from the world of science, technology, and medicine. Science on Screen is supported by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, with additional support from Rubin Anders Scientific, and Ken Loveday and Ellen Hoffman, Brookline.
This year we have four films paired with four outstanding presenters from our local community of New Mexico.
Our final movie in the series is Oliver Sacks: His Own Life
Neurologist Oliver Sacks reflects on his battles with drug addiction, homophobia, and a medical establishment that refused to accept his work for decades.
Our paired speaker is Dr Michael C Hout, Associate Dean of Research in the NMSU College of Health.
After Film Talk: Understanding the Mind Through Extraordinary Brains
A post-film conversation that explores what stories of neurological difference reveal about how the human mind actually works. Rather than focusing on the brain as a machine with parts that simply “break,” this discussion will examine how changes to memory, perception, language, and more can illuminate the fundamental principles of cognition, and challenge our assumptions about what is “normal.”
Drawing on examples from neuroscience and cognitive science, the talk will unpack why individual case studies have played such a powerful role in understanding the brain, what they can (and cannot) tell us scientifically, and why narrative remains one of the most effective tools for making sense of complex neural systems. At its core, this conversation invites audiences to rethink the relationship between brain, mind, and identity, and to consider why studying unusual brains may be one of the best ways to understand ourselves.
Presenter: Dr. Michael C Hout
Michael C. Hout is the Associate Dean of Research in the NMSU College of Health, Education, and Social Transformation, and the Interim Director of the STEM+ Education Research Institute. He received his bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Neuroscience from the University of Pittsburgh, and his Master’s Degree and PhD in Cognitive Psychology from Arizona State University. He is a cognitive scientist who specializes in visual cognition and uses neural network modeling in his research. He was previously a Program Director at the National Science Foundation programs in Perception, Action, and Cognition, and Cognitive Neuroscience. And he is the incoming Editor in Chief at the journal Attention, Perception, and Psychophysics.
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Where is it happening?
2469 Calle de Guadalupe, Mesilla, NM, United States, New Mexico 88046Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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