"Brain, Mind, Trauma" All about the Brain

- Special lectures by brain experts to be offered at GIST on March 15 during

‘World Brain Awareness Week’

 

□ On the occasion of the World Brain Awareness Week (March 10~16), Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST, President ž Young Joon Kim) will provide special lectures for local resident and students (from junior high schools to universities) of the city on March 15^th where brain experts will explain the importance of brain science and share related research findings.

 

-  The World Brain Awareness Week is a campaign which started in the US back in 1992 for the purpose of increasing public awareness of brain and its importance. The third week of March was designated as the World Brain Awareness Week and the campaign has grown into a global event and 57 countries around the world participate today. In Korea, major universities take part in the campaign led by Korean Brain Society and various events are held in 11 cities including Gwangju during the week.

 

□ GIST will provide special lectures on the theme of “Brain, Mind and Trauma” to the public at Oryong Hall from 1:30~4:00 pm on March 15.

 

- “Trauma” has become a commonly used terminology of late and during the lectures the accurate definition of trauma will be explained in easy terms for general audience in an integrated manner encompassing social science, clinical medicine and brain science.

 

-The best experts in the field of brain from the region will give lectures; △‘What is trauma? Trace of pains carved out in the brain and mind’ (Park Hye-joon, Gwangju Metropolitan Mental Health Center) △‘Trauma seen from the perspective of psychiatry (Prof. Bae Kyoung-yeol, Medical School of Chonnam National University) △‘ Histopathological examination of the appearance of damaged brain’(Prof. Lee Kyoung-hwa, Medical School of Chonnam National University) △‘Peek into the mind through brain imaging” (Prof. Cheon Sung-chan, the School of Information and Communications, GIST)

 

-Trauma has become also an important social issue as the ‘trauma’ suffered by high-risk vocations including policemen and firefighters, as well as disaster victims, have been brought to much public attention. For instance, the trauma of emotion workers such as call center staffs has been a subject of considerable public debates here in Gwangju, and hence the lectures will seek to promote people’s understanding and consolation based on scientific understanding of trauma.

 

□ Prof. Jeong Ui-hun of the Department of Medical System Engineering and the School of Mechatronics, GIST said “We will explain various scientific knowledge about trauma based on the concept of brain science. We hope the lectures will stimulate intellectual curiosity among students and citizens and form social consensus on the importance of brain research.”