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Double dose of exciting free public lectures at UEL

Monday 18 May 2009

Professor Duncan Turner

A double dose of public lectures at UEL coming up on March 4 are guaranteed to capture the imagination and highlight pioneering technology at its best.

Dr Ashok Jansari, Principal Lecturer in Cognitive Neuropsychology at UEL and an award-winning neuropsychology researcher, will take visitors on an intriguing journey from the earliest thoughts on the brain throughout history to modern ideas of studying brain damage in his lecture The man who mistook his neuropsychologist for a pop star.

The lecture will include the first ever depiction of the word ‘brain’ from hieroglyphics in the Egyptian culture over 5000 years ago, to more recent findings and will also include how a patient of his mistook him for pop singer George Michael.

“We often take everything for granted but if a part of our brain becomes damaged, we suddenly become very vulnerable.” Dr Jansari explains. “This lecture will feature a research patient of mine who suffers from a rare condition called face-blindness and there will be a chance to discuss what living with brain damage means for him.”

The lecture will take place at 6pm at University House, Romford Road, Stratford Campus, London E15. For further details or to confirm your attendance, contact the UEL events team on 0208 223 2884 or email events@uel.ac.uk.

The second lecture looks at whether a new breed of robotic devices can help stroke patients recover more quickly.

UEL is looking to address this question by inviting the public to a free open day and Public Lecture about new assistive technologies and restorative neuroscience being used by UEL and other leading universities in UK and USA to help stroke patients improve their condition.

Both events will be on Wednesday 4th March at the Stratford Campus. The open day in the Brain Function & NeuRobotic Laboratory will feature demonstrations of robotics used to help stroke victims. It is hosted by Professor Duncan Turner, Professor of Restorative Neuroscience and Rehabilitation at UEL’s School of Health and Bioscience.

Professor Duncan Turner said: “UEL is working with other leading universities in the UK and USA to help physical therapists cope with the large workload placed on them by stroke. We are doing this by designing different robotic devices which can be used in a semi-automated fashion in stroke rehabilitation.”

The Rehabilitation Robotics Open Day will be between 10am -1230pm at the Brain Function & NeuRobotic Laboratory, Room UH 220, University House, Stratford Campus and the Public Lecture will be held afterwards between 1pm -2pm at University House, Lecture Room UH 136.

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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