LIVE ONLINE: Wednesday, October 20 @ 8PM, Secret Science Club & the Lasker Foundation present the “2021 Lasker Public Lecture” with Psychiatrist, Bioengineer & Author Karl Deisseroth, FREE!

Secret Science Club & the Lasker Foundation present the 2021 Lasker Public Lecture with Psychiatrist, Bioengineer & Author Karl Deisseroth

Join us live via Zoom on WEDNESDAY, October 20 @ 8PM (Eastern Time USA) "Doors" open at 7:30PM 

Shhh... everyone on our mailing list will be emailed the Zoom link the night before.  To join the Secret Science Club mailing list (or just request the Zoom link), send us an email (secretscienceclub@gmail.com)

Karl Deisseroth has spent his life pursuing truths about the human mind, both as a clinical psychiatrist and as a researcher creating and developing the revolutionary field of optogenetics, which uses light to help decipher the brain's workings. At the next Secret Science Club, Dr. Deisseroth probes the connections between optogenetics, human emotions, and mental health.

He asks:
•    Why do we have emotions? How have they evolved? Why do our emotional responses sometimes seem so unhelpful, or so poorly adapted to our circumstances?
•    What is the technology of optogenetics? What light can optogenetics shine on the origin of emotions, the pathways in the brain that create our inner worlds, and the processes that go wrong in psychiatric disease?
•    How has the pandemic affected mental health? Why are “connections” (both neuronal and social) so important to emotional well-being?

Karl Deisseroth is a professor of bioengineering and psychiatry. In his lab at Stanford University, he explores how individual cells, working together, give rise to the mysterious and wonderful properties of the brain—from basic drives such as thirst to complex cognitive processes such as social interactions. This year, he received the 2021 Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award for his groundbreaking contributions in optogenetics—using light-triggered systems to study neurons and their role in healthy brains and mental illness. In addition to his lab work, Dr. Deisseroth treats patients with mood disorders and autism in both out-patient and emergency room settings. In 2021, he published his first book, Projections: A Story of Human Emotions, which The Guardian describes as “revelatory… breaking apart any crude arts-science dichotomies.” He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, and the National Academy of Engineering.

Before & After
--Mix up our cocktail of the night, the "Bright Idea"… (recipe below!)
--Groove to our sparkling playlist
--Bring your questions for the live audience Q&A
--Snag a copy of Karl Deisseroth’s illuminating & empathic new book, Projections: A Story of Human Emotions here

This edition of the Secret Science Club, the 2021 Lasker Public Lecture in honor of Al Sommer, is sponsored by the Lasker Foundation. The Foundation works to foster the prevention and treatment of disease and disabilities by honoring excellence in basic and clinical science, educating the public, and advocating for support of medical research.

This is a FREE event.

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Zelle: scienceliveproductions@gmail.com

What’s next at Secret Science Club online?
Stay tuned for brain scientist & biomedical engineer Sridevi Sarma on Tuesday, November 16.

(Note: If you don't already have the Zoom meeting app on your computer or mobile device, you can download it for free at zoom.us)

Cocktail Recipe for the “Bright Idea” (created by Joe Cacciola/Mixologist)
Ingredients: 4 oz White Wine (preferably a dry), 2 oz Pineapple Juice, 1 tsp Limoncello, Sparkling Water, 3 dashes of Angostura Bitters, Lemon Wedge for garnish
- Mix the first 3 ingredients in a bar shaker with ice
- Pour into a rocks glass filled with ice
- Top off with sparkling water
- Add bitters and garnish with lemon

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.