Western to host international brain plasticity symposium

In a unique collaboration with The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) and the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, researchers from Western’s renowned Brain and Mind Institute will explore this ever-expanding field of study with neuroscientists from the top universities in Israel, as well as colleagues from the University of British Columbia, the University of Lethbridge, McGill University and McMaster University, during the three-day Symposium on Brain Plasticity, Learning and Education from June 14-16, 2013.

The symposium, presented by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), is organized by Melvyn Goodale, FRSC and Daniel Ansari from Western’s Brain and Mind Institute, Adi Mizrahi from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Avishai Henik from Ben-Gurion University of Negev. The symposium promises to deliver powerful new insights into the role of brain plasticity in learning and the implications of this work for educational policy and practice.

“Western is extremely excited about hosting such an important event at a time when there is a growing recognition that knowledge about brain plasticity has implications for education,” says Ansari, a Western psychology professor, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. “Collaborating with leading researchers from Israel and other institutions from across Canada presents an excellent opportunity to reflect on where we are globally in terms of comprehending the mechanisms of brain plasticity and how to translate this work into the classroom.”

For a schedule and a list of speakers, please visit https://www.uwo.ca/bmi/brainplasticity/