News and Events

In addition to three keynote lectures, the nationally recognized program will feature the Annual Robert B. Glassman Memorial Brain, Mind, and Behavior Symposium that highlights the scholarship of college faculty, alumni, and students..

Highlights of this year’s Brain Awareness Week include:

• Opening Keynote Lecture: “Transmission of Misfolded Proteins in Neurodegenerative Disorders: A Common Mechanism of Disease Progression” delivered by Virginia Lee, PhD, John H. Ware 3rd Endowed Professor in Alzheimer’s Research, Director of the Center of Neurodegenerative Disease Research, University of Pennsylvania, at 4:15 p.m. on Monday, October 28 via Teams. Contact Professor Shubhik DebBurman (debburman@lakeforest.edu) for a Teams link.

• Nu Rho Psi Keynote Lecture: “Why Brains Crave Beauty: Learning the Arts and Creativity” talk by Gabrielle Starr, PhD, President, Pomona College, at 4:15 p.m. on Tuesday, October 29 via Teams. Contact Professor Shubhik DebBurman (debburman@lakeforest.edu) for a Teams link. 

• Annual Mind and Society Dialogue Lecture: “Translating Neurobiological Insights Into How To Aid Children’s Executive Functions: How Montessori Had Much of This Right” lecture by Dr. Adele Diamond, PhD, Canada Research Chair Tier I Professor of Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, University of British Columbia, at 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday, October 30 will be held in the Tarble Room, Brown Hall on Middle Campus, with a pre-seminar reception starting at 3:45 p.m.

• Robert B. Glassman Memorial Brain, Mind, and Behavior Symposium faculty and alumni talks from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, October 31 in the Tarble Room, Brown Hall on Middle Campus. Topics include the impact of combined fentanyl and xylazine, motor control in the spinal cord, infected brains and pestilent congregations in Shakespeare, sex differences in brainstem control of “dessert stomach,” and molecular scissors and Alzheimer’s disease.

• Glassman Symposium undergraduate and alumni research poster session will feature presentations by students and alumni on the original research they have conducted at the College and at major research universities from 4 to 6:30 p.m. on Friday, November 1, on campus in Calvin Durand Hall followed by a closing ceremony recognizing all student and alumni scholars.

A Lake Forest tradition for over two decades, Brain Awareness Week’s enduring longevity speaks to the increasing societal relevance of understanding how our brain works and guides all our behaviors, says Disque D. and Carol Gram Deane Professor of Biological Sciences and Chair of Neuroscience Shubhik DebBurman.

“This week truly exemplifies the neuroscience curriculum’s focus on interdisciplinary approaches that connect humanities to sciences which drives so much of the scholarly and teaching interests of our faculty and the breadth of student’s academic interests, and the diverse career trajectories of our alumni,” DebBurman said. “We hope the College community and larger public will enjoy this year’s events.”

Neuroscience and psychology double-major Kesang Dorji ’25, co-president of the neuroscience student organization Synapse, looks forward to her organization collaborating with the program faculty to highlight the week-long outreach and education activities.

“The Amazing Brain Exhibit that we recently organized during Homecoming was a great success,” Dorji said. “We look frward to continuing this momentum during Brain Awareness Week and the Glassman Symposium, where interdisciplinary talks will connect neuroscience with fields like art, education, and literature, inspiring curiosity and meaningful conversations about the brain’s role across disciplines and everyday life.” 

Art and science will also come together during this week in another enduring tradition. Students from the College’s undergraduate neuroscience society, Nu Rho Psi, are once again collaborate with students of Associate Professor of Art David Sanchez-Burr’s Art Installation course depicting the 2024 national education and outreach theme, “Social Media and the Brain,” which will be displayed during the week’s concluding Glassman Symposium.

All Brain Awareness Week events are free and open to the public.

Related Links:

• Explore the neuroscience program at Lake Forest College
• Learn more about Brain Awareness Week