Bacon and Eggheads

The "greying population" is the fastest growing group in Canada. Age-related changes in perceptual and neural function have implications for virtually every aspect of our lives—from recreation to transportation, health care and the work force. Recent research, shows that although aging leads to declines in some abilities, others are spared and may even improve. This lecture will discuss the implications of these changes and the trade-offs in visual and neural processing that occur with age, and evidence will be provided that demonstrates we really can teach older brains new tricks.

An internationally recognized expert in visual processing and aging, Allison Sekuler (PhD, University of California at Berkeley) holds the NSERC Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Neuroscience at McMaster University, where she also serves as Associate Vice-President and Dean of Graduate Studies. Besides maintaining an active and successful administrative, teaching and research career, Dr. Sekuler is a passionate advocate for science outreach. She helped found McMaster University's most successful outreach venture, Science in the City, and was an early advocate for science cafés in Canada. Recently, she served on the founding steering committee for the Science Media Centre of Canada. She is a frequent public lecturer and commentator on scientific and research issues for national and international media, including the Discovery Channel, CBC and the History Channel.

Organized by: The Partnership Group for Science and Engineering (PAGSE)