2020 Salvesen Lecture: Beyond the label - mapping brain diversity in childhood
6 - 7 pm, Tuesday 17 November 2020
Join us for this year’s Salvesen Lecture, an annual event at the University of Edinburgh showcasing cutting edge research on development and learning, with implications for schools, clinics and homes. This year we will hear not only from Duncan Astle but also a few of the young people who have taken part in his studies. The lecture will take place entirely online and be followed by a chance to discuss the implications of the work with a panel of researchers and practitioners, including Duncan.
It’s common for many children to find learning difficult. But progress toward understanding the brain mechanisms associated with these difficulties has been slow. This is because the samples are often too small or the children are grouped somewhat arbitrarily. This year’s Salvesen Lecture will showcase the experiences of young people who took part in a large study at the Centre for Attention Learning and Memory (CALM). This unique study set out to capture the full range of children who find learning difficult. Duncan, one of the scientists working on the project, will focus on what this project has taught us about the developing brain and how this can give rise to such diversity. A key result is that the contribution of different brain areas is less important than how those areas are connected.
You’ll hear about the scientific and practical implications of this cutting-edge work, as well as the views of some of the young people who took part in the project. You'll also have a chance to discuss the lecture and the wider research with a panel at the end of the lecture. The panel will include Duncan, Professor Sue Fletcher-Watson, Director of the Salvesen Mindroom Research Centre and members of the Salvesen Mindroom Centre charity.
The Salvesen Lecture - which is open to all- will be introduced by Professor Peter Mathieson, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh, with closing remarks from Alastair Salvesen.
Dr Duncan Astle
Duncan is a Programme Leader at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, and a Fellow and Director of Studies at Robinson College. The 4D research group that he leads captures a broad programme of developmental cognitive neuroscience. A hallmark of this science has been using innovative methods to study the developing brain, and the diversity of that development. Their work has been supported by the Royal Society, the British Academy, the Medical Research Council, the Economic and Social Research Council and multiple charitable foundations.
Check out the sneaky-peak trailer video