Secret Science Club & the Dana Foundation present the Dana Foundation Brain Lecture with Neuroscientist Nim Tottenham, TUESDAY, November 12, 8PM @ the Bell House, FREE!

When we are born, our brains don’t have much hard-wiring. But newborn neurons are exquisitely primed to make brain circuits as a baby learns new things. Compared to the minds of other species, young human brains are remarkably plastic and adaptable: Over the course of our prolonged childhoods, over 1 million new neural connections form every second, as we acquire language, play, and interact with parents and caregivers.

At the next Secret Science Club, neuroscientist Nim Tottenham explores human brain development and its relationship to emotional behavior, stress, and well-being. She asks:

--How are early-life experiences linked to emotional functioning in adulthood? Why do some early experiences matter so much?

--How is brain development affected by relationships with parents and primary caregivers.

--Can childhood stress rewire our brains?

--How does brain plasticity in childhood relate to psychological resilience and vulnerability?

Nim Tottenham is a neuroscientist, professor of psychology, and director of the Developmental Affective Neuroscience Lab at Columbia University. Her research examines brain development underlying emotional behavior in humans. She uses brain imaging, behavioral, and physiological methods to examine the development of brain circuitry in children, teens, and their parents, and she is the author of more than 80 scientific papers. A recipient of the National Institute of Mental Health Biobehavioral Research Awards for Innovative New Scientists (BRAINS) award and the American Psychological Association’s Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology, Dr. Tottenham has been a featured scientist on CNN and NBC news and in the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post.

BEFORE & AFTER
--Sample our cocktail of the night, the Smartini
--Shimmy to mind-blowing grooves
--Stick around for the scintillating Q&A

This edition of Secret Science Club—the Dana Foundation Brain Lecture featuring Nim Tottenham, is sponsored by the Dana Foundation. The Dana Foundation is dedicated to advancing understanding about the brain in health and disease through research grants and public outreach.

This Secret Science Club meets Tuesday, November 12, 8 pm @ the Bell House, 149 7th St. (between 2nd and 3rd avenues) in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Subway: F or G to 4th Ave, R to 9th St.

Doors open at 7:30 pm. Please bring ID: 21+. No cover. Just bring your smart self.

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