Inaugural Lectures at the Med School (U of Auckland)

When faculty members at the University of Auckland become Professors, they are asked to step out of their ‘nerd shoes’ and give an “Inaugural Lecture”. 

On the virtues of having a lap

Many people consider that the brain is the most important part of our bodies. I am a neuroscientist, so I would normally have to agree. But I have recently been reminded of the importance of having a lap. 

Deaf Awareness Week

Deaf Awareness Week runs from the 21^st to the 27^th of September this year. Deaf Awareness Week has been running since 2004, and this year’s theme is ‘Tender Ears’, focusing on the risks that can lead to hearing loss in childhood and during life.

Gluckman, Darwin and Medicine

When I started teaching a few years ago, a colleague of mine suggested I should steer away from mentioning evolution in my lectures. So it was with great delight to see that the Liggin’s Institute had organized a series of lectures on Darwin’s Legacy to celebrate the 200^th anniversary of Darwin’s birth and the 150^th anniversary of the publication of the “On the Origin of Species”. Last night, Professor Sir Peter Gluckman gave a lecture on “Darwin and Medicine”.

27th Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research

Last week I attended the 27th Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research. You can read my short summary here.