Why is the Brain Important?

Dr. Rob Sutherland Thursday, March 28 | 7 - 9 p.m. Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge The brain is the vehicle for all the qualities that define our humanity. It is at the centre for all early development and learning, engagement with education and family life, participation in social interactions, creative work and creating our knowledge of all aspects of the universe. Understanding how the brain creates perception from sensation, memories for percepts and generates action is key to understanding all human phenomena. In this talk, we will produce an assemblage of current neuroscience research to highlight key issues relevant for health, education, artificial intelligence, criminal justice, ethics and political behaviour.

Dr. Rob Sutherland is Professor & Chair of the Department of Neuroscience, Tier 1 Board of Governors Research Chair in Neuroscience, and Director of the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience. In 2021, he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and in 2022 was awarded the Donald O. Hebb Distinguished Contribution Award by the Canadian Society for Brain, Behaviour, and Cognitive Science. He investigates the neurobiology of learning, memory and dementia in rodents and humans. Sutherland received his degrees from the University of Toronto and Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. After he received his PhD he moved to the University of Lethbridge in 1980 for postdoctoral training in Neuropsychology. He has held faculty positions at the University of Lethbridge, University of New Mexico, University of Colorado Boulder and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.