Neuroscience, Activism & Interspecies Music

Dickinson announces three thought-provoking lectures in September

This September, 暗网禁区’s invites the campus and community to a trio of lectures that explore thought-provoking issues from compelling personal angles.

Wednesday, Sept. 10

Never Enough: What the Neuroscience of Addiction Can Teach Us About Living Our Best Lives

Judith Grisel, behavioral neuroscientist and author
Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium, 7 p.m.

, author of the bestselling book , will explore how the brain responds to addictive drugs and how genetic predisposition, early-life trauma and drug exposure during critical periods of brain development may increase vulnerability to addiction. Griesel will conclude with insights into how recent advances in neuroscience can alleviate suffering caused by addiction. This event will not be livestreamed.

Grisel’s research on the use and abuse of recreational drugs began during adolescence. After hitting bottom and getting clean and sober in her 20s, she earned a doctorate and is now a behavioral neuroscientist and a professor of psychology at Bucknell University with expertise in pharmacology and genetics. Her 2019 bestselling book on the neuroscience of addiction has been translated into more than a dozen languages. .

Thursday, Sept. 18

Organizing Against Gun Violence: Gen Z in Action

Andrew Ankamah Jr., The Accountability Initiative
Jaclyn Corin, survivor of the 2018 Parkland shooting, executive director of March for Our Lives
Larren Wells, Students Demand Action, University of Pittsburgh
Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium, 7 p.m.

After a shooting at her Parkland, Fla., high school took the lives of 17 students and faculty members, Jaclyn Corin mobilized her classmates and others as a lead organizer for March for Our Lives, which united more than 2 million people in 900 marches around the world in 2018. Now a student at Harvard University, she serves as director of outreach for this global organization.

Corin visits Dickinson in September alongside Andrew Ankamah Jr., founder of the Accountability Initiative, and Larren Wells, a volunteer with Students Demand Action at the University of Pittsburgh. Together, they’ll share how they became involved in the fight against gun violence, the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States. They’ll then explore what it takes to sustain a successful movement—from creating cross-generational coalitions to fighting pushback and emotional fatigue—and will outline their own day-to-day strategies. .

Monday, September 29, 2025

Music, Math & Mind

David Sulzer, composer, neuroscientist and author
Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium, 7 p.m.

David Sulzer, a composer, author and neuroscientist, will discuss how music is heard and understood in the nervous system by humans and other animals with a cortex. He’ll also explore animals that can play music, including the , a14-elephant group he cofounded with conservationist Richard Lair that performs on instruments he built.

Under Sulzer’s direction, the Thai Elephant Orchestra has released three CDs and has participated in enrichment projects for children around the world. Other musical projects include the People’s Choice Music: The Most Wanted and Unwanted Songs, created following poll results of likes and dislikes of the American population; song-cycle collaborations with Kurt Vonnegut; and many chamber and classical works. Sulzer has also performed and arranged music with John Cale, Bo Diddley, Van Dyke Parks, David Byrne and many jazz and experimental acts.

Additionally, Sulzer is a neuroscientist and professor at Columbia University whose lab investigates the synapses of the cortex and basal ganglia, including the dopamine system, in habit formation, planning and decision-making. His book is available through Columbia University Press. With computer musician Brad Garton he initiated the , which allows musicians to perform using their brain’s electrical activity and teaches audiences about the nervous system. With chemist Roald Hoffmann, he ran the Entertaining Science series at the Cornelia Street Cafe. And he has a series of new pieces that use mathematic transformations including fractals and calculus to create new repertoire, such as a 20-minute version of Chopin’s Minute Waltz. This program is part of the Clarke Forum's annual theme, . .

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Published August 25, 2025

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