A very high proportion of the public have close family members who suffer from mental health problems and yet the subject is clouded in mystery and misunderstanding. People are fascinated by insights into the normal functions of the brain and how they might be altered in mental disorders. In addition to providing a description of important conditions, we will explain how mental disorder at the level of emotions and behavior is influenced by underlying cognitive functions such as memory, attention and social awareness, which are in turn influenced by brain structure, as measured by neuroimaging techniques, and the connections between parts of the brain. We will describe the novel insights that are emerging from biological studies including studies of the human genome revealing mutations in genes that may lead to the abnormalities of structure and function described above. Members of the team have strong track records of communication with the general public and the series of talks and workshops will provide an interconnected and seamless story about mental illness and the role of the brain, and the potential for better treatments based on new knowledge.

Plastic Art will feature the work of Magnhild Opdøl, Seamus McCormack and Barbara Knezevic, three Irish-based artists commissioned to create new work which explores the greater implications of plasticity. 

Magnhild Opdøl’s work deals with atrification of the biological, the end point or memorial implication to plasticity. The object-surface in Opdøl’s work is never a complete and even crust, but instead holds several irreconcilable, contradictory narratives. Barbara Knezevic’s works employ materials that are sourced from various systems of production that have other material uses and lives. They are often in and of themselves fragile, and subject to alteration and rearrangement. Seamus McCormack’s work deals with transitions and transformations using elements from the ‘black box’ theatre space, and positioning them within the ‘white cube’, or gallery context; his work deals with identity construction.                                                                                                                                            

Please see link for more info www.ruared.ie

The conference programme may de downloaded here:

http://www.edwardworthlibrary.ie/News-and-Events/Reception-of-Newton-conference-2012

Halting the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services remains a key challenge of the 21^st century. The SIMBIOSYS Project contributed to tackling this challenge by studying the impacts of key sectoral activities in Ireland (in particular: the cultivation of bioenergy crops, road developments, aquaculture and wind farm developments) on genetic, species and landscape biodiversity and the ecosystem services they provide including pollination, biological pest control, carbon sequestration and resistance to alien species invasion. This conference aims to disseminate key results of the SIMBIOSYS Project and welcomes participants from the scientific research community, stakeholders, decision makers, and the interested public. SIMBIOSYS researchers will present key findings on the impacts of each sector and the policy implications. Discussions focused on the sustainability of these sectors will be led by a panel encouraging interactions between researchers, stakeholders and policy makers. Prof Kathy Willis (University of Oxford) will deliver a Keynote Address.

Leviathan is more than just another forum; it is an agent for change. Leviathan is where dialogue between generations can happen. This is where the expression of shared experience helps different people find common cause and empathy.

Centred on a moderated panel discussion which carefully integrates audience contributions, each Leviathan event also features entertainment in the form of specially-commissioned music, film and comedy performance as well as occasional literary and poetry readings. It’s not just politics, though – Leviathan conversations can and have covered a wide range of subject matter including economics, culture, society, business, religion, health, education, the environment, energy and international relations.

The Science Cabaret is a public conversation about a crucial scientific issue and its political and economic implications in Ireland and more broadly. A panel of experts engage in interactive discussion with musical satire, video and entertainment.

Join the RTÉ Concert Orchestra for an evening of mind blowing discussion and a full concert performance with Irish traditional phenomenon Lúnasa. Music and the brain is an area of endless fascination – what governs hearing, learning, playing.

To mark the International Congress of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders in Dublin from June 17-21, the RTÉ CO invites you on an exploration of music and movement with Professor Steven Frucht as he focuses on the science of learning music and the effect this has on the brain followed by a full concert performance with Lúnasa and the RTÉ Concert Orchestra.

Join us for an exploratory theatrical adventure into the wonderful world of science. Get set for a breathtaking ride that will entertain, inform and inspire!

The show is presented by the Science Museum & M4 Entertainment. Show length is approx. 2 hours, including an interval. 

See link for more information: http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/liveontour.aspx 

To compliment the show find a downloadable version of the FREE activity pack available at the bottom of above link.  

For further information please contact: dan.colman@m4-ents.com