Event

McGill on the Move with Karim Nader

Wednesday, April 29, 2009 18:30
Ropes & Gray LLP, 36th floor, One International Place, Ropes & Gray LLP, 36th floor, One International Place, Boston, Massachusetts, CA

McGill on the Move with Karim Nader, Associate Professor and William Dawson Chair, Department of Psychology, McGill University.

"Taming Trauma": How Memories are Acquired, Stored and Recalled”

Nine years ago, at the tender age of 33, Karim Nader proved that when a memory is retrieved, the brain puts it into a vulnerable state in which it can be changed, strengthened or lost altogether.

He devised a method to dampen or "tune down" even the most painful and violent memories in a process with enormous implications for rape victims, war veterans and other post-traumatic stress sufferers. What’s more, there’s hope that his groundbreaking research could one day help treat conditions such as epilepsy, drug addiction and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Join Professor Nader as he explains how new discoveries are bringing to light some of the mind’s darkest recesses.

Karim Nader joined McGill in 2001, and now holds the positions of Associate Professor and William Dawson Chair in the Department of Psychology. Before coming to the University, he did his post-doctoral studies in a lab at New York University. His supervisor there recalled that "Karim came into the field of memory like a ball of fire. He had brilliant ideas and a great knack for turning them into experiments - and making the experiments work."

His research has earned him numerous honors and awards, among them the prestigious Sloan Research Fellowship, given to early-career scientists and scholars who are having a major impact on their field. He has also been recognized by the BBC and 60 Minutes, was selected as one of "Canada’s Top 40 Under 40," and even helped inspire the Hollywood movie "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. In 2007, Forbes magazine named him as one of its "10 People Who Could Change the World."

Note: You must pay in advance to reserve your place.

Parking is available in One International Place, where the event is being held, with a voucher that will be redeemed.

Cost: $20 US (includes light refreshments, beverages and parking)

Online registration is available on Alumnilife.

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