Virtual Discussion
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
4:00-5:00pm PT / 7:00-8:00pm ET
IEEE Brain and the International Neuroethics Society (INS) invite you to a discussion of the documentary film In Silico. This will be held as a virtual panel with the documentary’s director and representatives of both the INS and IEEE Brain. Participants will have the opportunity to watch the film separately from the discussion, using the link that will be provided to registrants in advance of the event.
Registration
Registration is required to participate in this free virtual event. A link to view the film for free will be included in the confirmation email you receive from Zoom.
Preview
A young filmmaker sets out to document a brilliant neuroscientist who has become frustrated with his field’s status quo. With time elapsing and millions of dollars on the line, In Silico explores an audacious 10-year quest to simulate the entire human brain on supercomputers. Along the way, it reveals the profound beauty of tiny mistakes and bold predictions — a controversial space where scientific process meets ego, and where the lines between objectivity and ambition blur.
“… the project’s spectacular size and public profile serve as a magnifying lens held to the system at large, allowing us to examine the rot of corporate bureaucracy taking hold of scientific research institutes everywhere.” – Jennifer Lee, Science for the People Magazine
Speakers
Jack Gallant
UC Berkeley
Jack Gallant is a professor in the Department of Neuroscience, and an affiliate in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and programs in Bioengineering, Biophysics and Vision Science. The overall goal of Jack Gallant’s research program is to discover how information is represented in the brain under natural conditions (i.e., natural stimulation and natural tasks).
Noah Hutton
Director
Noah Hutton is a writer and director of documentary and narrative films. He was nominated for a 2021 Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay for Lapsis, a sci-fi feature he wrote, directed, scored, and edited, which premiered in the narrative feature competition at SXSW 2020 and was released by Film Movement in 2021. In 2020 he completed In Silico, a ten-year documentary begun in 2009 and supported by Sandbox Films and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation about a ten-year project to simulate the human brain on supercomputers. Previously he directed the documentary features Deep Time (SXSW 2015) and Crude Independence (SXSW 2009).
Laura Cabrera
Penn State University
Laura Cabrera is a senior research associate in the Rock Ethics Institute. She also holds the Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Chair in Neuroethics in the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences. Additionally, Cabrera is an associate professor in the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics and is core faculty in the Center for Neural Engineering in Penn State’s College of Engineering. Cabrera’s research focuses on the ethical and societal implications of neurotechnologies used for treatment as well as for enhancement purposes.
Moderator
John Noel M. Viaña
Australian National University
Dr. Viaña is a ARC DECRA fellow at RegNet’s Justice and Technoscience (JusTech) laboratory, where he is developing an anti-racist neuroethics framework to promote epistemic justice in brain and mental health research. His work involves engagement with laboratories and groups conducting biomedical or health research to investigate the perspectives of researchers on equity and diversity questions; to examine organisational cultures and social infrastructures that impact participant and researcher diversity; and to facilitate reflexive discussions among scientists on how to make their current and future projects more inclusive and culturally sensitive.
Promotion
Organizers
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. IEEE Brain was formed in late 2015 to help facilitate cross-disciplinary collaboration and coordination to advance research, standardization, and development of technologies in neuroscience to help improve the human condition. Join the IEEE Brain community to gain access to valuable information and resources, and to connect and interact with others in this dynamic multidisciplinary community.
The International Neuroethics Society is an interdisciplinary group of scholars, scientists, clinicians, and other professionals dedicated to encouraging and inspiring research and dialogue on the responsible use of advances in brain science. People at all stages of their career join the Society to interact, learn, and participate in dynamic discussions that further the growing field of neuroethics.