Brain Awareness Week I Pop-up-Ausstellung & Vorträge

In the organizer's words:

The Europe-wide Brain Awareness Week will take place in March 2025. The aim of the annual event is to arouse interest and enthusiasm for brain research. As part of the event, a pop-up exhibition on the neuroanatomy of the brain will be on display in the foyer of the university building between 5 and 7 pm. Visitors will learn how different areas of the brain work together to control movements or form memories. With 3D models and vivid visualizations, you can immerse yourself in the fascinating world of this complex organ!

Starting at 7 p.m., Prof. Katharina Spalek and Pamela Villar Gonzalez will give insights into current research in psycho- and neurolinguistics at Heinrich Heine University in two lectures.

Lecture 1:
Katharina Spalek: "Do you remember what I said? How we can use brain waves to predict what we will remember later when we hear a story."

When we tell other people something, we want them to remember it later so that all the effort isn't wasted. It has long been possible to use brain waves to predict which words people will remember later (and which they won't) when they are asked to memorize a list of words. In my talk, I will show that (and how) the same technique can be used when people listen to a whole story to better understand what they will remember.

Lecture 2:
Pamela Villar Gonzalez: "Lateralization of language in the brain" (The lecture will be held in English)

If you want to know more about the relationship between handedness, which ear you hear "best" with, and language processing, this is your talk! You will also learn what whistle languages, like Silbo Gomero, are and why it's interesting to study and compare them to spoken languages in terms of brain activity.