Neuroscience Researcher and Blogger to Share Research on Brain Function, Memory and Thought

CHESTERTOWN, MD— An educator and researcher in neuroscience from Texas A & M University will visit Washington College on Tuesday, October 2, to talk about the biology of thought and consciousness. 

William Klemm will deliver a power-point lecture titled “The Ghost Materializes: How the Brain’s Three Minds Think,” based on his book by the same title.

The talk will take place at 5 p.m. in Hotchkiss Recital Hall, Daniel Z. Gibson Center for the Arts on the Washington College campus, 300 Washington Avenue.  A reception with the author will follow in the Underwood Lobby.

Klemm’s lecture, like his latest book, crystallizes his ideas about brain function, especially how the brain creates thought as either latent messages stored as memory or “on-line” through patterns of nerve impulses distributed in circuits and networks. He will challenge a common view that free will is illusory with his theory for consciousness: that the brain is capable of generating both automatic intentions and freely chosen ones. A long-time sleep researcher, he also will present his latest theory for why people dream.

Klemm, who calls himself “the Memory Medic,” has authored more than 17 books, 50 book chapters and 200-peer-reviewed papers. His most recent books include Better Grades, Less Effort, 2011 (Benecton), Atoms of Mind: The Ghost Materializes, 2011 (Springer) and Memory Power 101, 2012 (Skyhorse/Norton). 

He writes a monthly research-based newspaper column for baby boomers that covers topics of memory, attentiveness and perception, and maintains the blog site “Improve Your Learning and Memory.” He also blogs for Psychology Today, whose editors have tagged many of his posts as “essential reads.” His blog posts have drawn over a quarter million reader views.

The October 2 event at Washington College is sponsored by Sigma Xi, Phi Beta Kappa, and the William James Forum. For more on the speaker: http://vetmed.tamu.edu/faculty/wklemm.

Using Biology Against Bioterrorism: 2006 Sigma Xi Lecture, April 27

Chestertown, MD, April 25, 2006 — Joany Jackman, Ph.D., Senior Scientist at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and the 2003 recipient of the Homeland Security Award in the field of Emergency Response, will deliver the 2006 Sigma Xi Lecture, on Thursday, April 27, at 4:30 p.m. in the Litrenta Lecture Hall of the John S. Toll Science Center. In her talk, "Using Biology Against Bioterrorism," Dr. Jackman will focus on the how scientists have come to use the natural enemies of pathogens to combat their effects.

Dr. Jackman, who holds a Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Vermont, began working in the area of infectious disease at U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease in 1997. She has become a recognized leader in the development of rapid pathogen identification, including methods to analyze breath for markers of infection. This technology uses proteins and lipids secreted by the host in response to pathogens in the lungs to detect signs of infection prior to the appearance of symptoms. This technology will allow rapid triage of individuals at the scene of a potential bioterrorism attack and emergency medical personnel to focus their resources on the most seriously ill individuals for rapid and early treatment. This technology, once fully developed, will reduce the impact of bioterrorism by improving the outcome and treatment of exposed populations.

The April 27 talk is sponsored by the Washington College Chapter of Sigma Xi and is open to the public. The topic is of general interest and will be delivered at a level that is understandable by non-scientists and scientists alike.

Shark Hunting In Montana And Early Vertebrate Evolution, Lecture March 25

Chestertown, MD, March 15, 2004 — The Washington College Chapter of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, as part of its Women in Science Lecture Series, presents “Snorkeling a Paleozoic Bay: Shark Fishing in Montana,” a lecture by Eileen Grogan, a Washington College 1984 alumna now associate professor of biology at Saint Joseph's University, Thursday, March 25, at 4:30 p.m. in the College's Hynson Lounge. The lecture is free and open to the public.

After completing her bachelor of science in biology at Washington College in 1984, Dr. Grogan received her M.S. in biology from Adelphi University in 1988 and her Ph.D. in marine science from the College of William and Mary in 1993. She has taught at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia since 1994.

Her research interest, and the focus of her talk, is the origin and evolution of early chondrichthyes (cartilage fish, such as sharks) and their connection to early vertebrate evolution.

The talk is sponsored by the Washington College Sigma Xi chapter, which was officially installed in April 2001. Founded in 1886, Sigma Xi is an international, non-profit membership society of more than 80,000 scientists and engineers elected to the Society because of their research achievements or potential. In addition to publishing the journal American Scientist, Sigma Xi awards annual grants to promising young researchers, holds forums on critical issues at the intersection of science and society, and sponsors a variety of programs supporting science and engineering, science education, science policy, and the public understanding of science. The College's affiliation allows faculty and students to advance scientific education and research through grants; to fund faculty and student projects, travel awards and conferences; and to sponsor visiting scientists and collaborative research with other institutions.

For up-to-date information concerts and events at Washington College, visitcalendar.washcoll.edu.

Symposium To Honor Washington College Chemist

Chestertown, MD, April 1, 2003 — The Washington College Chapter of Sigma Xi, the scientific research society, and the Women in Science Program present "COPPER IN THE BODY: YOU GOTTA HAVE IT - BUT NOT TOO MUCH", a symposium in celebration of the recent publication of Washington College Professor Rosette Roat-Malone's new text, Bioinorganic Chemistry: A Short Course. The symposium will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8, in the College's Hynson Lounge. The event is free and the public is invited to attend.

Panelists for the event include Professor Valeria Culotta, Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University; Professor Amy Rosenzweig, Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Cell Biology at Northwestern University; and Professor Rosette Roat-Malone. Alice Hogan, Director of the ADVANCE Program of the National Science Foundation will serve as moderator. ADVANCE is a federal program designed is to increase the participation of women in the scientific and engineering workforce through the increased representation and advancement of women in academic science and engineering careers.

Professor Rosenzweig's research is concerned with determining the three dimensional structures of proteins involved in delivering copper to distinct cellular locations and particular proteins. These proteins, called copper chaperones, are linked to human diseases, including Menkes syndrome, Wilson disease, and familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS), and are potential targets for new therapeutics. Professor Culotta's work focuses on the role of metal ions in biology and in disease. Researchers in her group have cloned and characterized a number of yeast genes involved in metal trafficking and virtually all of these have human homologues. They have helped to establish a novel paradigm of copper trafficking in eukaryotic cells that involves the combined action of metal transporters and soluble copper carrier proteins. Their discovery of the CCS copper chaperone for the superoxide dismutase enzyme (SOD1) has facilitated studies addressing the mechanism by which mutations in human SOD1 lead to the fatal motor neuron disease, ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrigs disease.

Founded in 1886, Sigma Xi is a non-profit membership society of nearly 75,000 scientists and engineers who were elected to the Society because of their research achievements or potential. Sigma Xi has more than 500 chapters at universities and colleges, government laboratories and industry research centers.

Lecture Explores The Consequences Of Global Warming And The Impact Of Rising Sea Levels April 25

Chestertown, MD, February 5, 2003 — Washington College's Center for Environment and Society and Chapter of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, present “Global Climate Change and the Impact of Rising Sea Levels,” a lecture by Stephen Leatherman, Ph.D., Director of the International Hurricane Center at Florida International University, on Friday, April 25, 2003, at 4:30 p.m. in the College's Hynson Lounge. Originally scheduled in February but cancelled due to inclement weather, this event is free and open to the public.

Dr. Leatherman is an internationally recognized authority on coastal storm impacts, beach erosion, and the effects of sea level rise. His talk will address the effects that global warming will have on weather patterns, storm severity and coastal areas that might experience rising sea levels. He has authored or edited 16 books and over 200 journal articles and technical reports on coastal issues, and was the on-screen host and co-producer of the “Vanishing Lands” documentary film that won three international awards.

A faculty member of Florida International University's Department of Environmental Studies, Dr. Leatherman also directs the university's International Hurricane Center, (IHC), an interdisciplinary research center focused on the mitigation of hurricane damage to people, the economy, communities and natural environment. The IHC promotes an interdisciplinary, large-scale disaster research agenda to address this vulnerability, involving disciplines such as architecture, business, economics, engineering, finance, geosciences, insurance, political science, sociology, and urban planning in a long-term, integrated research program to help coastal regions mitigate hurricane exposure.

Award Winning Nuclear Chemist To Address Imaging Drug Addiction In The Human Brain

Chestertown, MD, April 19, 2002 — The Washington College Chapter of Sigma Xi and the Department of Chemistry, as part of the Women in Science Lecture Series, present, "IMAGING DRUG ADDICTION IN THE HUMAN BRAIN," a talk by Joanna S. Fowler, Ph.D., recipient of the 2002 Glenn T. Seaborg Award in Nuclear Chemistry, and Senior Chemist at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). The lecture will be held on Tuesday April 23, 2002, at 7:30 p.m. in Litrenta Lecture Hall of Dunning Hall. The public is invited to attend.

Dr. Fowler has been a pioneer in the development of organic compounds labeled with radioactive isotopes and their use in medicine. Her work in the synthesis of F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) has led to the rapid growth of positron emission tomography (PET) as a diagnostic tool for brain mapping. Her work with C-11 labeled cocaine led to the first assessment of the mechanistic action of cocaine in the human brain. In addition, her brain mapping studies have provided new insight into the behavioral and epidemiological effects of smoking.

Dr. Fowler received a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1964 from the University of South Florida, Tampa, and a Ph.D. in chemistry in 1967 from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Her long and distinguished career at BNL followed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of East Anglia. Dr. Fowler's many awards include the 1998 Francis P. Garvin-John L. Olin Medal of the American Chemical Society, established in 1936 to honor distinguished service to chemistry by U.S. women chemists; the 1997 Paul Aebersold Award of the Society of Nuclear Medicine; the1999 E. O. Lawrence Award of the Department of Energy.

Men and Women: Are We Hard Wired to Think Differently? Lecture Explores Sex Differences in the Brain

Chestertown, MD, January 11, 2002 — The Washington College Chapter of Sigma Xi and Psi Chi the National Honor Society in Psychology, as part of the Women in Science Lecture Series, present "SEX DIFFERENCES IN THE BRAIN: FACT OR FICTION?", a lecture by Margaret M. McCarthy, Ph.D., University of Maryland, on Wednesday, February 13, 2002, at 7:30 p.m. in the Litrenta Lecture Hall, Dunning Hall. The event is free and the public is invited to attend.

As a researcher with the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Department of Physiology, Dr. McCarthy focuses on the influence of steroid hormones on the developing brain. For humans and animals, perinatal life—the time period immediately preceding and following birth—is a sensitive period for hormone exposure during which permanent structures in the developing brain are established.

Males and females are exposed to different hormones and hormonal concentrations during this period that result in sex differences in the brain. These differences include alterations in the volumes of particular brain nuclei and patterns of synaptic connectivity. McCarthy believes that the mechanisms by which sexually dimorphic structures are formed in the brain need further exploration and can shed light on how hormonal differences in the perinatal period may contribute to gender differences neurological disorders. For instance, males suffer more from developmental disorders such as dyslexia, autism, stuttering, early-onset schizophrenia, and attention deficit disorder, while females suffer more from adult-onset disorders such as anxiety, depression and eating disorders. Dr. McCarthy is investigating whether these gender differences are due to the difference in hormonal make-up during the perinatal period.

Dr. McCarthy has published widely in numerous peer-reviewed journals including Journal of "Neuroscience", "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences", "Brain Research", "Hormones and Behavior", and "Neuroendocrinology". She also has presented her work at numerous national and international scientific meetings.

This Women in Science Lecture is cosponsored by the Washington College chapter of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, a non-profit membership society of more than 80,000 scientists and engineers supporting excellence in scientific research, education, science policy, and the public understanding of science, and by the Washington College Chapter of Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology.