[visionlist] Why are there neuroscientists? Workshop of Ideas in Neuroscience, Dec 5th, Heidelberg

[Mateusz Kostecki]

Hello!

We are happy to announce the first Workshop of Ideas in Neuroscience held
by Heidelberg Open Lab - *Why are there neuroscientists?*

Try to surprise your colleagues with a sudden question – why are you doing
neuroscience?

You may expect them to fall silent for a moment, and then give you one of
those unsatisfactory answers: *oh, I was always fascinated by how the mind
works*. Or: *it somehow happened*.

We rarely have good answers to those questions. And yet there is an
intricate web of reasons why we study the visual cortices of mice, the
spatial cognition of bats, or the molecular basis of Alzheimer’s disease in
humans. We certainly have our long-time fascinations – in memory,
perception, and action – but we are also guided by previous, often random
choices, inspired by other people, or shaped by circumstances. Some of us
are guided by more or less pure curiosity, others by a hope of helping
others. And then there are also those who genuinely don’t know.

The aim of this short workshop will be to discuss in depth our reasons for
doing neuroscience. In a series of short talks, discussions, and group
tasks – in the spirit of our Schools and Workshops of Ideas – we will try
to ask (and maybe answer) questions:

   - What motivates our research?
   - How do our stated purposes for our research – the ones that we speak
   about in public, in grant writing or science communication – relate to our
   real motivations?
   - How do our reasons to do brain research influence our methodological
   choices?
   - How do the reasons we have differ depending on our background? Why
   does it matter?

This workshop will be held in the spirit of our Schools of Ideas—with an
informal atmosphere and an open exchange of thoughts and perspectives. We
invite especially early-stage researchers in neuroscience or cognitive
sciences, as well as philosophy and STS. The workshop will be held in a
stationary manner in Heidelberg, on December 5th. Please find more info and
the application form here - https://openlabhd.org/why/.

With best wishes,
Mateusz Kostecki

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Mateusz Kostecki

PhD Student

Knapska Laboratory
Nencki Institute
02-093 Warsaw, Pasteura 3, Poland

https://twitter.com/mtkostecki

https://evolvingbehavior.blog/
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