ELENCHUS

No more just Sci-Fi? Futuristic science cities, mind control and bionic men

pyxajorane@gmail.com (P88.O8.Z3) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:15:00 +0000

The future was on exhibition in Göttingen when keynote speaker Miguel Nicolelis talked about his social and scientific projects at this year’s Neurizons conference.

During a coffee break, we had the opportunity to talk about his social and scientific projects.

Other than being one of the frontiers of Brain-Machine Interface researches, Nicolelis is an idealist who dedicates himself to improving science education. In 2002, along with the Brazilian Ministery of Education and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the president of Brazil, they founded the Edmond and Lily Safra International Institute of Neuroscience of Natal.

“Natal is the first science city in Brazil” he said, and it is not just that, “We are building the Campus of Brain around the institute” -thereby, making one of Brazil’s poorest cities an important science center. The education system in Brazil is half-day,so the kids go to the campus after school for a hands-on science education. Students range from 12 years to college-aged. On this campus, more than 1,000 kids are spending time in the labs, using scientific tools from microscopes to telescopes. He said that it is crucial to bring the science back to the children and to make it a part of their lives: “In two years, the performance of these kids in their school exploded.” Nicolelis then added: “Science has to perforate through the walls of the university.”

Considering many such projects remained in the shelves of state offices under a thick layer of dust for years, the amount of support and interest to the project is enough to admire. The project itself is a dream for many of the idealists, who believe humanity can only improve itself when science finds its place in the community. However, that wasn't enough for Nicolelis and his colleagues. They decided to take one step further , towards earlier education : starting before the birth of a child! In this campus, young mothers are also educated about their health and child care, and the unborn babies of the trainee mothers are already enrolled in the program.

Recently, the Brazilian Ministry of Education is planning to enlarge the project to reach more than a million kids. Nicolelis said that Natal stands as a model and if it proves successful, the next step would be to clone Natal in different places, not only in Brazil and other developing countries but also in developed countries like Germany.

During our conversation, we also talked about his famous monkey Aurora. The Aurora experiment was one of the pioneers using brain control to perform tasks - such as moving a robot arm that stands in the next room to accomplish a visual task. To maintain cortex-controlled body movement, Nicolelis and collaborators from Paris, Berlin, Lausanne, Munich, Natal, and San Paulo are working with patients who have spinal cord injuries. The aptly-named “Walk-Again Project” is aimed at building a robotic suit, similar to an exoskeleton, which will be directly controlled by the cortex.

In his speech, given to an over-flowing lecture hall, Nicolelis told a story of progress from understanding the “barrels” in the rat brain (the layers of cortex that receive stimulus from rat whisker) to building an exoskeleton for the disabled people.

He asked one of the most spicy questions : “How does a brain distinguish between a poorly functioning neuron and a good one?”. He said that he thinks the brain takes all into account and “variability is a part of the game.”

The audience had a chance to taste the future when he gave an almost “Sci-fi” example of how he and his colleagues applied what they learned by studying brain: using the brain activity of a monkey walking on a tread-mill located in Durham ,North Carolina to teach walking an autonomous robot located in Kyoto, Japan.

The speech ended with sustained applause and fruitful discussions. The graduate students found the talk very interesting, although they weren’t that much into the methods he used: “His methods were very complicated and I didn’t really understand most of them but I think what he accomplished is very stunning”, one of the graduate students said. Reactions from the scientific staff weren’t much different. They usually described the talk as “inspiring” and “outstanding”. A different approach came from Dr. Janet Yagoda-Shagham, a freelance science writer from New Mexico, USA, who was in Göttingen for teach a writing workshop. “What an extraordinarily generous man” she said, “and he was different from the other speakers.” According to her, the difference was his ability to communicate well with the audience and his obvious enthiuasm.

Göttingen had the privilege of hosting a talk from Miguel Nicolelis, who brought us an insight not only about his inspiring studies on the brain-machine interfaces, which used to be only on the science-fiction stories just a few decades ago, but also about the importance of reaching to the public, especially to the children and transforming their thoughts about science from being just a word to an essential part of their lives as the breath they are taking.

Recommended Literature

[1] Soares, C. Building a future on science. Scientific American. February 2008.

[2] Nicolelis, M.A.L.; Ribeiro, S. Seeking the neural code. Scientific American. December 2006

[3] http://www.nicolelislab.net/

[4] www.natalneuro.org

[5] Blakeslee, S. Monkey’s thoughts proper robot, a step that may help humans. The New York Times. January 15, 2008.

NOTE: Original article is published in MPI-bpc News (Göttingen)

Zindelhof and its colorful stories

pyxajorane@gmail.com (P88.O8.Z3) — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 09:32:00 +0000

July 14,2008

Click here to see the first article on Göttingen Culture Night and Zin delhof.

My second stop on Göttingen Culture Night was Zindelhof, to rest for a while in this extraordinary atmospher and to see the exhibition of my friend Doğa Akdoğan.

Let's remind shortly, July 4 was Göttingen Culture Night. Despite of their different lifestyles and music tastes, music was bringing "Göttingener"s from all ages, all nationalities together on the streets, in cafes, bars and even in the city library. We all had a wonderful and exhilarating night full of culture.

There was another event that adds colors and dreams into the night : The fest of colors in Zindelhof, an old inn settled in between Universität Apotheke and Villa Cuba.

Doğa had the passion for painting since childhood, but she decided on taking it as a profession only last year. She is now both working and preparing herself for passing the Academy elections. Actually, she started her Göttingen days in a very different way. She came to Göttingen to study forest science and ecology, changing it as biological sciences and ecology shortly after she started. Finally, she decided to focus only on painting and she is taking private lectures from a sculptor in Göttingen since March 2008.

About Zindelhof...

Zindelhof is an open-air flee market. The stuff on the shelves and on the walls are decorating the place in a very original, and almost gothic style. Without any doubt, Zindelhof is one of the most interesting places in Göttingen. Immediately after you step inside, you feel the warm, cosy feeling of all kinds of stuff that fill up the place. You can find anything here -from a toy angel, which is more eerie than anything else here, to toy cars to porcelain plates and to television. Tilo, the owner of Zindelhof, is a genial and cheerful man. Doğa painted some pictures here and that's the way they met. She tells me that Tilo suggested to bring her paintings here and to hang them up on the shelves for Göttingen Culture Night. Paintings are hung on the shelves using wires that look like fishing lines. So on the background of Doğa's paintings, you see various kinds of objects each with stories on their own.

Instead of writing a long long text, I just want to let the photos from Zindelhof tell for themselves.

If you are living in Göttingen, don't just pass by Zindelhof! It is on one of the busiest streets in Göttingen, you can't miss. Just step inside, even only for a moment, and have a look at the place. You can always find something interesting with a feasible price. If you are just a visitor in Göttingen, this place is a must-see! (If you ( still ) don't know the place, ask where Villa Cuba is to someone on the street, it is just next to it. Or ask for Universität Apotheke and just turn the corner of the building.)

I'm looking forward to your comments (i.e. on the paintings!)

With Love and Light!

PS: Click on the photos for the original size.
PS2 : Zindelhof web site (in German)

The Fest of Music and Colors in Göttingen

pyxajorane@gmail.com (P88.O8.Z3) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:08:00 +0000

5 July, 2008

Tonight is Göttingen Kultur Nacht (Göttingen Culture Night). On every corner, there is music of quite different tastes. All city inhabitants from 7 to 70 are on the streets tonight.

The opening concert is Göttingen Synphony Orchestra.

That's a massive orchestra. The concert is entitled as "Hollywood", with Christoph-Matthias Müller as the chief. Göttingen has the privilege of listening pieces from Hollywood movies and Broadway played by professionals in the classical tunes. Concert is taking place on a large stage placed at the small city center, next to the famous Gänseliesel - the little girl statue kissed by PhD graduates in the graduation ceremonies. The surrounding old German houses and the old City Hall completes the atmosphere of the concert. If you want to sit, you can pay 9 euros and get a seat just in front of the stage. Another option is having a seat in the classy restaurant in the Old City Hall and listening to concert when having your champagne and delicious dinner. Of course, the third option, which many people prefer, is watching the concert by standing close to the stage and the seats. I'm in the third group.

We are not surprised by encountering a "popularized" theme and style in the concert. Obviously, the aim was to attract the people who are not that much into classical music as well as the regular listeners who are searching for fresh tunes. The enthisuastic crowd here proves their success : In the previous years, the orchestr already succeeded in showing that classical music isn't necessarily boring.

Yet, the most fun part is, of course, watching the chief Müller with his outstanding "stage performance". He is funny, energetic and exhilarating.

The concert starts with Oklohoma and goes on with a medley from Phantom of the Opera. Later, Agata Wilewska accompanies the orchestra with her smooth, fresh voice in Morricone's "Play me the song of death". After a medley from the Broadway musical Poggy ve Bess, it is time for the famous Evita musical, which depicts the life of the first lady Eva Peron, with Madonna as Eva Peron. Wilewska is carrying away the crowd with the most known song of the musical, Don't Cry For Me Argentina.After a medley from the holder of box office records, West Side Story, Wilewska is singing the Golden Globe awarded theme song of another box-office movie with Leonardo Di Caprio, Kate Winslett and memorable visual effects, Titanic. However, this time "My Heart Will Go On" is a total disappointment. Both orchestra and the solist is marvellous on their own but there is no synchrony and the tempo is so fast. Among all these well-known movie songs, of course Monty Norman's James Bond (Dr. No) theme is probably one of the most popular. Everybody at the city center is following the beats with small moves and when the theme ends, the city center is resounding with applauds and "Bravo"s. Then chief Müller's announcing the last "official" song. For sure, this crowd won't let them go this early. Probably because of this, they are skipping the Star Trek, which was in the program booklets, and playing Henry Mancini's famous theme songs, including Peter Gunn, The Godfather, Pink Panter, Breakfast at Tiffany's and Love Story.

As expected, the orchestra is coming back after long applauses and now, they are playing the the theme song I waited for so impatiently. Star Trek performance is incredible, and this time even the people on the seats are standing to applaud. I'm carried away with the performance and probably, I'm the most happy one there, after listening the theme song of my favourite series since childhood.

The day has a special meaning for a country far far away from Germany : July 4, the Independence Day of USA. Chief is not missing this detail and the concert is ending with the "Stars and Stripes".

At the sunset, we feel the inconsistency of the weather in Göttingen once again when the hot, suffocating weather just turns into chilly. As almost all of the other, I'm with the thinnest possible clothes and I'm freezing. Me and my best friend are deciding to get something warm to drink. However, it is already 22:00 and most of the shops and "bäckerei"s are closed after 18:00. So we are deciding on walking around.

Every corner is a stage tonight, so we are just tasting pieces from Blues to R&B to hymns. The pretty streets of Göttingen is embellished with music of all kinds. Music and walking warms us a little bit, but not enough.

OK, then, we are already a bit late for Zindelhof before it gets late.

So the second adress is Zindelhof.

This is a second-hand shop. But it's quite different from the regular shops in Göttingen. This place is actually like a open-air bazaar, squeezed between the Universität Apotheke and Villa Cuba (the two very well-known places in Göttingen). Me and friends visit this place without fail every time the Weihnachtmarkt ( Christmas Market) is set. In winter, this little "hof (inn)" warms us with the Glühwein. People blends with the extraordinary and cosy decoration of the place by all kinds of second-hand goods. But today that's not why we are here. Today, one of my close friends, Doğa Akdoğan is exhibiting her paintings here. I will talk about in more detail about Zindelhof, one of the most interesting places in Göttingen and Doğa's exhibition in the next article.

Here, we are meeting with other close friends and drinking the rich Bordeaux wine that Doğa brought for us. Interestingly, the music is also changing now: For this colorful Turkish girls, the inn is hearing the tunes of the delicate Turkish music, from the famous singer Sezen Aksu.

One can find everything in this inn. I'm noticing two elegant basins put on top and filled with water. I'm lying my bare feet on them, feeling them and hearing their stories. They are so old and beautiful, they are full of stories and I feel like I can hear them if I listen careful enough, and I'm suddenly realizing that every single thing here is hiding stories of ages. This inn is living. I'm glancing at the hundreds of things scattered on the shelves, on the walls. One of the friends is telling that she is feeling like in Istanbul, in Taksim right now. Most of use are from Istanbul, I'm not but I studied there for five years. We are diving into deep thoughts and memories of our years in Istanbul and coming back to Göttingen after some time,feeling a bit bitter.

When it's time to leave, we thank Tilo, the owner and going back to the streets.

We are reading in a booklet that there is a belly dancer in Cafe Botanik. It sounds a bit weird to have a belly dancer in the botanic garden and in the somehow "elite" Cafe Botanic (though the owner is, if I'm not wrong, Iranian), so we are deciding that it will be fun to go and see this. When we come to the center where the stage of orchestra still stands, we are noticing the teens spinning fire sticks. It is really fascinating to watch them. When we are on the way to Cafe Botanic, we are noticing some other friends and spontaneously deciding to go towards the Blues tunes we hear. In one the side streets, next to Bremen Winehouse, a very professional group is on the stage, playing Blues and Rock. When we come closer, the average age is increasing to 40-45. People are in front of the wine stands, tasting quality wine and cheese, and listening to blues. In front of the stage, we are noticing the people dancing, all around 60s. It is interesting to see that all younger ones are just standing or moving slowly to the music when the olders are very vibrate and dancing. They do have a style. They obviously feel young and dancing to their music. It is very easy to imagine them dancing in the same clothes to the same music when they are in their 20s. I'm thinking: Maybe in Göttingen, maybe on the very same street, a group of young people dancing to the very same music. The time apparently changed only the looks of the people in those clothes, not their spirit. I'm telling my friends that we will be exactly like this. We are laughing, knowing that that's true. Or at least, hoping.

We are meeting more and more friends in the night. It is a very nice moment. All the people, from all ages, all "classes", all nationalities are singing, dancing, laughing. Music is once again bringing us together. Everybody is very obviously peaceful. That's a rare and pleasant moment. Music is once again bringing us happiness and peace. Me? I'm flying. Almost literally. I'm high with the music. That's the music I looked for since I came to Göttingen.

Little concert ends, we are walking once more to see what else is around. Friends are going home one by one. It's getting late. We are all tired but happy and satisfied. It is totally extraordinary for Göttingen to have that many people from all ages on the streets at 2:30. I see people smiling, walking hand-to hand, happy. "This city is not over yet, honey".No, not yet, not today. Maybe Göttingen is not as vivid, crowded, colorful as İstanbul or my home city, Ankara. But still it is living, there is still some hope.

time to go home. I'm now alone with my bes friend. We are together since our university years in Istanbul. I'm noticing that we are both thinking about those years. We both didn't have ha much fun for so long. We feel a bit weird also, we feel we are full of energy and somehow full of enthisuasm for science. This is a haibt we got from our university, we realize. We were so lucky: We used to have classical music concerts every Wednesday, there were many concerts of all kinds in a term, especially in spring. University had top quality chores and groups. We were satisfied with all types of arts and this was apparently motivating us to dive in science full speed next day. Maybe this was what we missed here so much?

When we are walking home, we see that there is an open-air party when we hear House, R&B tunes in the cenral campus. It is the Sportler Party , one of the biggest student parties of Göttingen. The crowd here is very different from the one in the city center, still full of energy and colors. But this time, we are already too tired. We are hanging outside for some time (entrance was not free) and then keep walking.

When I enter my appartment, I'm still smiling.

I'm satisfied with all types of arts in Göttingen, like the old times.

Waking-up to science tomorrow...

With Love and Light.