As part of the National Evening of Science on Screen, we are thrilled to offer a special screening of the new documentary by Werner Herzog, Theatre of Thought, accompanied by a preshow neuroscience presentation by the Co-Director of the University of Kansas Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Dr. Jeffrey M. Burns, MD, MS.

6:30pm Doors open/ 7pm Preshow Presentation/ 7:30pm Film Screening

ABOUT THE FILM
Herzog casts his gaze on the human brain, looking for clues as to why a piece of tissue can produce deep thoughts and feelings, while also considering the philosophical, ethical and social implications. Professor Yuste, Chief Scientific Advisor of the movie, goes on a road trip with Herzog to meet a collection of people whose cutting-edge research sounds like science fiction. They meet Jamie Daves, Entrepreneur and Treasurer of the foundation, and Jared Genser, an award-winning human rights lawyer and the foundation’s General Counsel, who warns that the international community is unprepared for the ethical implications of neurotechnology. The film is multifaceted, illuminating the technological advances that are helping people overcome brain-related illnesses, confronting conspiracy theories over implanted chips, and questioning the politics of mind control.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Jeffrey M. Burns, MD, MS is the Edward H. Hashinger Professor of Medicine and the Co-Director of the University of Kansas Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (KU ADRC), one of 33 nationally designated centers in the country. Dr. Burns also directs the Department of Neurology’s Neurocognitive Division, the Clinical and Translational Science Unit – Fairway, and the KU ADRC’s Clinical Core, which is a site for national clinical trial networks.

Dr. Burns started the Alzheimer’s clinical research program at the University of Kansas Medical Center in 2004. His education includes a BA (English and Japanese) from the University of Notre Dame, medical school at the University of Kansas Medical Center, neurology residency at the University of Virginia, and a post-doctoral fellowship in Alzheimer’s at Washington University in St. Louis. He then returned to his hometown of Kansas City to start the Alzheimer’s clinical program to stimulate and support AD and aging research locally while pursuing research investigating how various lifestyle factors influence brain aging and AD. The program has grown into a vibrant research and training environment for AD and brain aging research. Dr. Burns has been continuously funded as a PI by the NIH since 2005 for work focused on how various lifestyle factors influence brain aging and AD progression.

ABOUT THE TALK
Theatre of Thought: Big Plans for Brains
Technological advancements have brought a new era for Alzheimer’s Disease diagnostics and treatment. Explore innovative new research in the memory centers of the human brain, including how exercise, nutrition and metabolism relate to dementia, in this pre-show presentation by neuroscientist Dr. Jeffrey Burns, co-founder of the KU Alzheimer’s Disease Center.

This event is supported by Science on Screen®, an initiative of the Coolidge Corner Theatre, with major support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and The Neurorights Foundation.

Each year, Science on Screen grantees, like the Lawrence Arts Center, choose one night to simultaneously host events, creating a coast-to-coast offering of thought-provoking programs that pair film screenings with explorations of science, technology, and medicine. We call this night the National Evening of Science on Screen.