March 25, 2020

Secret Science Club Videos!

Secret Science Club's live in-person events are on hiatus as we all practice social distancing during the COVID-19 outbreak. 

Stay well... and stay tuned for updates as we work to bring our live science programming online! 

In the meantime, please "SSC and chill" at home with these recent videos. 

Check out our Dana Foundation Brain Lecture with Neuroscientist Nim Tottenham. She spoke at Secret Science Club about human brain development, emotional behavior, stress, and well-being.  


If you missed seeing Sean Carroll's talk about quantum physics and "Something Deeply Hidden" at our Secret Science Club North event last fall, you can see the entire talk (with an intro by physicist Brian Greene) on C-SPAN's BookTV.


At last December's SSC North event at Symphony Space, astronaut Kathryn Sullivan talked about her life in outer space and her book Handprints on Hubble: An Astronaut's Story of Invention. Watch it here

March 4, 2020

***POSTPONED*** Secret Science Club & the Dana Foundation present the Dana Foundation Brain Lecture with Neuroscientist Daphna Shohamy
(in honor of Brain Awareness Week!)
MONDAY, March 16, 8PM @ the Bell House, FREE

Folks, we are sorry to announce that our March 16 Secret Science Club event at the Bell House is being postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The Dana Foundation Brain Lecture with Neuroscientist Daphna Shohamy will be rescheduled at a future date.

According to neuroscientist Daphna Shohamy, “memories are fundamental to everything we are and everything we do.” We use memories to learn. We use memories to make decisions. We use memories to form our identities. We use memories consciously, subconsciously, and constantly.

At the next Secret Science Club, Daphna Shohamy dives deep into the human brain to explore the links between memories, decision-making, and motivation. She asks:

--What exactly is memory? And how are memories built?
--What’s going on in the brain when we learn new things and form new habits?
--How do rewards and motivation shape how memories are formed?
--What role does dopamine play in memory and learning?
--How do different parts of the brain work together to use memories to make decisions?

BEFORE & AFTER
--Try our cocktail of the night, the “Memory Palace”
--Shimmy to mind-blowing tunes 
--Stick around for scintillating Q&A

Daphna Shohamy is a neuroscientist, professor of psychology, and director of the Learning Lab at Columbia University. She uses behavioral research and neuroimaging studies to explore the neural processes by which memory, learning, and decision-making interact. She is the recipient of the McKnight Foundation Memory and Cognitive Disorders Award, the Cognitive Neuroscience Society’s Young Investigator Award, and the Association for Psychological Science Janet Spence Award. Her research has been featured in Psychology Today, Vulture, The Verge, Time, and Popular Science, and she served as a scientific advisor to the Oscar-winning animated film Inside Out.

This edition of Secret Science Club—the Brain Awareness Week kickoff lecture featuring Daphna Shohamy—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.

Brain Awareness Week is the global campaign to foster public enthusiasm and support for brain science. Every March, partners host imaginative activities in their communities that share the wonders of the brain and the impact brain science has on our everyday lives. Search the calendar of events for fun and fascinating events throughout New York City!

Secret Science Club meets Monday, March 16, 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.

Photo credit: Eileen Barroso/Columbia University

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