Biochemistry

Sheltered in Place? Read The Best Of The New Campus Novels – Forbes

There's a new batch of campus novels - just it time for good reading during this spring of ... [+] self-isolation.

Campus closed? Still self-isolating? Fed up with zoom? You need some entertainment, or at least a bit of distraction? Well, nows a good time to curl up with the latest campus novel, and this year brings a good crop for your consideration.

The campus novel continues to push its boundaries, serving as a vehicle for all kinds of fictional explorations. Heres my recommendations of five recent good reads, including tales of love, revenge, reminiscence, intimacy and loneliness; you know, the typical campus scene.

In Real Life, Brandon Taylor covers three days in the life of Wallace, a black, gay graduate student in biochemistry at an unnamed university in the midwest (although it sure resembles the University of Wisconsin, where Taylor was once a biochemistry student himself). Taylor brings the precision of a scientist to his descriptions of Wallaces desires and defenses, at war with each other throughout the story. And he captures the ennui of those caught between the lure and the loneliness of academic science, trapped in an existence that doesnt qualify as a real life - Stay here and suffer, or exit and drown.

A search for purpose, complicated by being black in a white space, suffering his own estrangement from these people he calls his friends is Wallaces struggle, and its told bleakly but beautifully in Taylors debut novel.

Published in 2019, Richard Russos Chances Are... is not a campus novel so much as a college nostalgia (the title drawn from the Johnny Mathis classic that backgrounded a generations foreplay). Three men, now in their sixties, life-long friends since their undergraduate days at Minerva College, get together on Marthas Vineyard for a reunion. Forty years earlier theyd come to the same beach house for a post-graduation farewell weekend, accompanied by Jacy Calloway, a fellow student with whom all three were in love. That weekend was the last that Jacy was seen or heard of, a disappearance thats haunted the three men ever since.

Mixed in with reminiscing about their Minerva days and disclosing the triumphs and trials of their lives, the three men remain obsessed with Jacy - and what became of her. Their preoccupation bends much of the novel into a mystery - too melodramatically at times. But nobody does rueful masculinity as well as Russo, and his powers are on poignant display here, particularly when exploring the often fraught bonds between fathers and sons.

The Truants by Kate Weinberg is a twisty tale narrated by Jess Walker, whos been drawn to enroll in a drab college in East Anglia so she can study under Dr. Lorna Clay, an enigmatic, provocative expert on Agatha Christie and the author of The Truants,in which she puts forth her lifes theme - writers must live dangerous, selfish lives in the pursuit of unique insights.

With gestures to Donna Tartts The Secret History, this debut novel is a blend of murder mystery, coming-of-age story, campus intrigue and academic pretense. Jess and her three eerie friends (Georgie, Nick and Alec - all Clay aficionados) galavant through the full landscape of young adult emotions - rebellion, friendship, envy, lust, treachery - into adulthood, doing their best to cope with the betrayals they regularly deal to one another. Great characters, lots of deceit, messy love triangles, and several intriguing asides for Christie lovers, this is an enticing read.

We Wish You Luck by Carline Zancan is story about three aspiring writers attending a highly competitive, low-residency MFA program at Fielding College. Zancan, herself an MFA graduate from Bennington, spins an absorbing, suspenseful tale about the culture - the recognition and the rejection, the closeness and the competitiveness - that develops in graduate writing programs.

After Jimmy, one of the novels featured trio of students, is devastated by a lacerating critique of his workshop poem by the hotshot writer leading the class, the story turns to his colleagues revenge. Reading like a low-speed thriller, this is a novel that honors the hard craft of good writing and respects the obligated response of serious reading. It lays bare the torture and triumph of becoming a writer and how writers shape one another - for better or worse.

A staple among campus novels is the satire of academias pretentious and insularity. This year that base is covered by Scott Johnstons Campusland, a sharply written and hilarious send-up of the elite Devon University, not so subtly modeled after Yale. Johnston takes aim at the precious sensibilities of todays campuses, skewering everything from trigger warnings, safe places, tenure tussles, Title IX excesses and deficiencies, diet fads and identity politics.

The cultural wars are fought all around the central character, Ephraim Eph Russell, an earnest assistant professor of English who is unlucky enough to be falsely accused of two incidents of misconduct. The first - trumped up by competing honchos in Devons camps of progressive students - is that he allowed racially insensitive language to be used in a class on Mark Twain. The second - a frame job by undergrad Lulu Harris, a histrionic, social climbing ,it girl - is that Eph sexually assaulted her in his office.

Eph is surrounded by a cast of campus archetypes, including the glad-handing president Milton Strauss; overpaid administrators blinded by political correctness; clueless frat boys preoccupied with sex, alcohol, and flatulence; ever-fractionating progressive student groups waging internecine power struggles, and humanities faculty with their agendas of grievance. He has one true ally - his girlfriend DArcy, who also happens to be Milton Strauss administrative assistant. Campusland throws a lot of jabs and, unless you think the academy is too sacrosanct to ever be poked, many strike a chord.

Self-quarantine has left all of us with a lot of time on our hands. Put a book in them instead. For those of you longing for a return to campus, these five novels will take you there, at least for a little bit.

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Sheltered in Place? Read The Best Of The New Campus Novels - Forbes

Neuroscience

Neuroscience course to fill ‘gap’ in teacher training – TES News

A headteacher is pilotinga new course ineducational neuroscience, designed to fill a perceived "gap" in conventional teacher training.

The Neuroscience for Teacherscourse, which will recruit up to 30 qualified teachersfrom state and independent secondary schools, will focus on how childrens brains develop throughout the teenage years.

Julia Harrington, head of Queen Annes School in Caversham, Berkshire, has commissioned Professor Patricia Riddell, a neuroscience specialist at the University of Reading, to design the course, which will be piloted in 2020-21.

Neuroscientist:What teachers need to know about the teenage brain

Watch: How teenagers' brains work

Feature:Why where you learn matters

The free course will involve six interactive days of workshops across the next academic year, on topics includingmotivation and engagement; learning and technology; memory; decision-making and leadership; mental health and wellbeing; and action research project planning.

There has been rising interest in recent years in the way neuroscience can be applied in the classroom.

However, some academics doubtthat meaningful links can be drawn between neuroscienceandeducation.

Ms Harrington said the application of educational neuroscience and cognitive psychology at her own school had led to improved emotional wellbeing and academic performance.

She added:"I believe that learning to become a teacher is incomplete without some understanding of whats happening in the teenage brain.

"So I asked Professor Patricia Riddell to design a completely new course to fill that gap in conventional teacher training."

Teachers wishing to take part must have between threeand fiveyears experience, and will also need the support of their school head.

They will be recruited over the spring and summer of 2020 to take part in the pilot, which will start in September 2020 and finishin June 2021.

The course will be free to participants as training costs will be covered by Ms Harrington's research centreBrainCanDo.

Professor Riddell said: "I am very excited to be given this opportunity by Julia and BrainCanDo to bring my expertise to the educational sector.

"There is so much that we now know about how childrens brains develop that can help teachers, both by designing teaching and learning which works with our brains and increasing motivation in children to learn."

Ms Harrington added: "We used to think that the brain stopped developing at age 11 but we now know that it continues to adapt well into adolescence.

"Its obvious to me that both classroom teaching and pastoral care need to reflect this aspect of childrens growth."

Headteachers interested in nominating a teacher to take part in the pilot should contactinfo@braincando.com.

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Neuroscience course to fill 'gap' in teacher training - TES News

Neuroscience

The Psychology Behind Events (When They Start Again) – The NonProfit Times

* Editors note: The NPT received the session information from this speaker for this session.

Many nonprofit managers are frustrated by the struggle to create engaging and profitable fundraising events. These managers might try changing venues and revamping themes, but to find event success they should instead be focusing on how they can harness neuroscience and psychology to powerfully connect with guests to create meaningful moments and memorable experiences.

It is imperative to consider psychology and neuroscience during the initial event planning phases. Most fundraisers arent aware that this will have an enormous positive impact on an event guests experience, as well as on the events ultimate profitability, according to A.J. Steinberg, CFRE, principal of Queen Bee Fundraising in Calabasas, Calif. Also, a meaningful experience at a fundraising event starts the process of relationship-building, which opens the door to post-event cultivation in order to turn those guests into donors.

Steinbergs slated session for AFPICON was The Psychology Behind Successful Fundraising Events.Steinberg explained to session attendees that, whether they are aware of it or not, all live events and gatherings play into the basic human need for community and belonging. People crave real connection, especially when it includes experiencing something meaningful with a crowd of like-minded folks, she told The NonProfit Times. Whether packed in a crowd of avid music fans at a live concert or sitting shoulder-to-shoulder singing hymns at a neighborhood church, a live group setting can elevate even mundane experiences into powerful moments.

Nonprofit events have the added opportunity to engage emotional triggers such as the need to feel personally valued and the deep human desire to do good. It is a shame when fundraisers direct the focus of the event to auctions and raffles, said Steinberg. Sure, those are entertaining for guests and can raise some money, but a live events focus should always be on the organizations mission and messaging. People didnt come to your event to buy stuff, they came to be inspired and to fall in love with your organization. People are looking for ways to add meaning in their lives, and it is your job as a nonprofit event producer to give them a reason to partner with your organization to do good in the world.

The choices made when planning nonprofit events heavily impact guests psychological and emotional triggers. Understanding these triggers will help you create an event at which creates a community bond, boost guests self-esteem, and make them eagerly raise their paddles to generously support your organization and its mission.

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The Psychology Behind Events (When They Start Again) - The NonProfit Times

Neuroscience

Deep Bench: Reframing the discussion from mental health to brain health – WSAW

(WZAW) -- Our nation is in the midst of a growing mental illness epidemic with conditions like suicide, depression, bipolar disorders and addictions increasing dramatically.

Standard treatments and success rates have barley changed in the last seven decades and now neuroscience is transforming psychiatry.

"If you get your brain right, the mind will follow."

That's the advice from Dr. Daniel Amen. He's a psychiatrist and best-selling author of the book "The End of Mental Illness". Dr. Amen talked to Holly Chilsen about his book, and how it's aim is the change the conversation about mental health into brain health.

"Nobody really wants to see a psychiatrist. No one wants to be labeled as defective or abnormal, but everyone wants a better brain," he said.

Amen Clinics has the worlds largest database of functional brain scans relating to behavior. Dr. Amen has been working on brain imaging for the past 30 years, conducting about 170,000 scans, and said researchers realized that it's not mental health issues people face, it's "brain health issues that steal your mind."

"This one idea changes everything."

He added that the mind is a result of the physical functioning of your brain.

"So you can go to therapy for a very long time, but it won't help if your brain's not right," he said. "And I'm a fan of therapy if your brain's right."

It comes down to optimizing the physical functioning of your brain. People start seeing their problems as medical and not moral. He said the stigma of the mental illness label, damaging and devastating on its own, can often prevent sufferers from getting the help they need.

"With this message, there's an increase in forgiveness and compassion from families," he said.

He said ways to improve your brain health are to make sure you're sticking to a healthy diet, exercise regularly and take supplements like vitamins. It's also important to think in different ways and practice mindfulness.

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Deep Bench: Reframing the discussion from mental health to brain health - WSAW

Neuroscience

Smell changes memory processing and could treat trauma – Medical News Today

Smells can reinvigorate old memories in a way that doctors could use to treat memory-related mood disorders, suggests a study in mice from Boston University.

The nature of memory is one of the biggest mysteries of neuroscience. Memories are at the basis of who we are, and how the brain processes and consolidates them is the subject of work around the globe.

A recent study from Boston Universitys Center for Systems Neuroscience has shown the power of smell in recalling memories, challenging a decades-old theory in the process.

The new research appears in the journal Learning and Memory.

The hippocampus a small brain structure shaped like (and named after) a seahorse is critical in the process of memory formation.

People with damage to the hippocampus are often unable to form new memories, and the region is also one of the most vulnerable in Alzheimers disease.

Experts think that when memories first form, the hippocampus processes them and captures rich, contextual details in the memory.

Over time, and particularly during sleep, the prefrontal cortex, or front of the brain, processes the memory, where many of the details embedded by the hippocampus become lost.

Scientists call this the systems consolidation theory, and it helps to explain why memories become fuzzier over time.

According to this theory, recalling a memory shortly after it happens involves activation of the hippocampus, whereas remembering an old memory involves activation of the prefrontal cortex.

This is because the same brain cells that are active when a memory forms reactivate when a person recalls that memory.

However, there are some inconsistencies with this theory. Some people remember old memories vividly, something familiar to people who have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

And smells, which the short-term memory area of the hippocampus process, can trigger memories from years gone by.

To test this theory, the new research tied memory to smell in mice.

The researchers created powerful memories in the mice by giving them a series of harmless but jolting electric shocks while inside a container. While receiving the shocks, the scientists exposed half of the mice to the smell of almonds.

The following day, the researchers returned the mice to the container and exposed the same mice to the almond scent again.

In both groups of mice, the region of the brain associated with short-term memory, the hippocampus, was active. This suggests that all the mice remembered the shocks from the day before. This is in line with the systems consolidation theory.

However, when the researchers performed the same recall experiment 21 days after the shock, all the mice showed some activity in the prefrontal cortex. However, the hippocampus showed significantly more activity in the mice who smelled the almonds than those who had the shock alone.

This was a surprise for the researchers, who were expecting to see more activity in the front part of the brain in all the mice.

[This finding suggests] that we can bias the hippocampus to come back online at a time point when we wouldnt expect it to be online anymore because the memory is too old, explains Steve Ramirez, assistant professor of psychology and brain sciences and senior author of the study.

The finding suggests smell can reinvigorate memories with detail, via the hippocampus.

The finding has the potential to revolutionize scientists understanding of memory processing. Although scientists still need to work out the finer details, the study suggests that the theory of the systems consolidation does not always hold true.

Beyond the academic interest, these findings could pave the way for new tools to treat mental health conditions caused by traumatic memories, namely PTSD.

Now that we know that odor can shift memories to become more hippocampus-dependent, we could potentially develop strategies that engage or disengage the hippocampus. And then we could integrate some behavioral or drug-based approaches to bring the hippocampus back offline if our goal is to permanently suppress a fear memory,

Steve Ramirez

Most current approaches to treat PTSD try to suppress or dampen the traumatic memory, but crucially this only works when a person can recall the memory first. Using smells to spark memories could, therefore, be a significant pathway to treatment.

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Smell changes memory processing and could treat trauma - Medical News Today

Neuroscience

To Flatten the COVID-19 Curve, Target the Subconscious – Scientific American

Even now, as fears about COVID-19 have grown across the world, there are still people ignoring warnings. Theyre gathering in crowds on beaches or bars (those that are still open). Theyre not washing their hands nearly enough. Despite the pleas of government and health officials, some people seem to be doubling down on social gathering rather than social distancing. And because of how viruses travel, these people are endangering the rest of us.

Why do some people believe the response to the coronavirus is an overreaction, while others think it doesnt go far enough? Why do some arm themselves with masks and disposable gloves and hoard toilet paper while others refuse to change their routine? The answer doesnt lie simply in their sources of information. It involves something deeper: the subconscious, where the vast majority of decisions are made.

As Yale psychology professor John A. Bargh put it, When we decide how to vote, what to buy, where to go on vacation and myriad other things, unconscious thoughts that were not even aware of typically play a big role. A study led by John-Dylan Haynes of the Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Berlin showed that brain activity can reveal a persons choice long before he or she is even aware of it. Neither rebellious nor compliant behavior is intentional; they are automatic. These two different cohorts are playing out a behavior thats predetermined in their subconscious, unknown even to themselves.

UNDERSTANDING THE BRAND CONNECTOME

Years ago, psychologist Daniel Kahneman won the Nobel Prize for his work showing that the human mind has shortcuts (heuristics) that overpower rational decision-making. Last year in Knowledge@Wharton, psychology and neuroscience professor Michael Platt and I shared our discovery about what lies inside those shortcuts: intricate networks of brand associations accumulated over time, years in the makingsome going as far back as childhood. We call these networks the Brand Connectome, named after the human connectome, a map of the brains neural connections.

To win people over to a company, product or cause, marketers must fill their Brand Connectome with positive associations. Over 30 years in marketing, Ive found that when a Brand Connectome has more positive than negative associations, and more positive associations than its competitors, people will switch to that brand.

These associations can be conveyed through cuesparticular words, images, sounds and so on. This is why, for example, an M&M's ad featuring Danny DeVito surrounded by a pool of melted chocolate was so successful. This metaphor instantly associated the brand with bliss and superior, creamy chocolate.

Just as we all have connectomes for brands, we also have them for political campaigns, causes and more. And we have connectomes for health care compliance.

THERAPEUTIC NONCOMPLIANCE

Unfortunately, efforts to improve health care compliance have a long and rather unsuccessful history. A team of researchers dug into more than 100 studies on therapeutic non-compliancepeople who dont follow doctors recommendations. Efforts to make medications affordable and easy to take werent enough. Why not? These measures did not address psychosocial factorsunderlying beliefs, attitudes and motivations. And in general, the lowest levels of compliance with doctors directions came when patients were asked to change their lifestyles. Only a paltry 20 percent to 30 percent of patients did so.

In the case of COVID-19, everyone, not just patients, is being asked to change their lifestyle behavior. Its the most comprehensive behavior-change initiative in modern history. No wonder so many people remain resistant.

To change minds, officials need to market their message directly to peoples instinctive decision-making mechanismtheir Corona Connectome.

MARKETING COMPLIANCE

Peoples responses to coronavirus prevention are shaped by cumulative subconscious associationsfor example, whether their parents approach to health and safety was protective or carefree; whether they lost loved ones to fatal disease; whether they themselves have suffered from serious illness.

To change the connectome of people who are noncompliant, officials need to pack their messages with the right cues that help leverage positive associations quickly. Connect COVID-19 precautions to aspirational movements, like community spirit and local pride, that already exist in the subconscious. Leverage peoples desire to do the right thing for others in all aspects of their lives.

Use imagery of famous people in protective gear delivering food to seniors doors. Make adherence, from using antibacterial wipes to staying home, a badge of honor. Feature rap artists, celebrity athletes and movie stars telling people to shelter at home. Use metaphors, like the proactive treatment of a small cancer cell, to explain the importance of stopping the virus as early as possible.

Leaders must act quickly. With each passing day, even people who have been heeding the warnings might become tempted to resume normalcy. It will take a steady influx of messaging to shift peoples behavior. The good news is that if you appeal to the subconscious with the right messages and cues, instincts can be changed quickly and we can flatten the curve.

Read more about the coronavirus outbreakhere.

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To Flatten the COVID-19 Curve, Target the Subconscious - Scientific American

Neuroscience

‘Journal of Neuroeducation’, first neuroeducation research journal in Spain – Mirage News

The University of Barcelona promotes a new semi-annual journal in open format which will publish articles from the field of neurosciences in Catalan, Spanish and English.

The editing committee is led by experts Anna Fors, Marcel Ruiz and David Bueno.

Building bridges between the science and education communities to contribute and improve the current didactic experiences is the goal of the Journal of Neuroeducation (JONED), a new online free-access journal open to the scientific community at a national and international level. It is promoted by the Chair of Neuroeducation of the UB ( Edu1st), created in 2019 and pioneer in Spain, led by the lecturer David Bueno, from the Faculty of Biology, with Anna Fors, lecturer from the Faculty of Education of the UB, as assistant director.

The new online journal -the first neuroeducation research journal in Spain- will be published semi-annually and will publish science articles in Catalan, Spanish and English. It results from an innovative proposal to join two disciplines which used to be separated from each other -neurosciences and education- and create a place for scientific dissemination -accessible to the national and international research community.

The editing committee -led by Marcel Ruiz (UPF), David Bueno (UB) and Anna Fors (UB)- counts on the participation of a distinguished group of national and international experts from centers such as the UPF, UAB, Educacin Activa Foundation, University of Oakland (United States), University of Cambridge (United Kingdom) and the Saxion University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands), among other institutions.

A new space for neuroscience and education

According to Marcel Ruiz, editor in chief of the journal, we want to provide with new evidence in the field of applied neurosciences in education through research studies, experiences and online reviews, among other content. The journal aims to encourage lecturers, professors and scientists to find places such as this journal to share their knowledge and get young students closer to science and education.

The disseminating activity of the publication aims to contribute to inform the people on the only way in which education is developing in our society. In a broader sense, it has a dual aim: inform people and contribute to build a learning culture from the earliest stages of life, notes David Bueno, lecturer at the Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics of the Faculty of Biology and assistant editor in chief of the new science journal.

The Journal of Neuroeducation aims to become a meeting point to establish synergies between different areas of knowledge which aim to optimize educational processes. We believe that society will benefit from the culture of education and learning, non-segregated and interdisciplinary, since the wellbeing and cohesion of people should be one of the goals of any emerging activity in society, notes Anna Fors, lecturer at the Department of Didactics and Educational Planning of the UB, and assistant editor in chief of the journal.

A journal with disseminating vocation and international outreach

With a clear disseminating vocation, the articles from the neuroscience and educational research fields in the journal have to be written with a strict terminology but they have to allow a total comprehension of the texts, notes Anna Fors. The section Neuromads, aimed at the young research collective, will publish articles from this profile in an accessible language and aimed at the audience interested in the content on neuroeducation.

With the same view on internationalization as the Chair Edu1st had, unfolding courses and content in Catalan, Spanish and English, this open-access journal advocates for the necessary and essential internationalization of knowledge, without leaving the immediate environment aside, notes Marcel Ruiz.

We seek the mximum transfer -he continues- to enrich the fields of our competence. This is why the journal accepts articles in the three languages -although they all need an abstract in English- in order to bring closer these works to the collectives that are interested in this fields of research.

Neuroeducation: at the forefront of learning

In a pedagogical context, neuroeducation is a discipline which gives scientific rigour to the educational practice, by giving evidence from an academic discipline that complements pedagogy to promote a more efficient learning, notes David Bueno.

However -he continues-, neuroeducation does not try to replace pedagogy nor education sciences, which are essential in the development and analysis of new didactic experiences in the social environment and its dynamics.

Neuroeducation brings new tools to increase self-awareness on our learning process, and it enables the activation of new areas of the brain which are related to pleasure, which would be essential to understand how we learn, reveals David Bueno.

An open project to turn education into a learning science

In the institutional context, initiatives such as the Chair of Neuroeducation UB (Edu1st) and the Journal of Neuroeducation are a a key step to increase the value of education in our society, concludes Fors.

The first issue of the journal will be available in July. All members of the research collective who want to publish their studies according to the avaluation criteria and scientific assessment of this initiative can contact the editing team via website until netx June 15.

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'Journal of Neuroeducation', first neuroeducation research journal in Spain - Mirage News

Neuroscience

Why space for reflection is critical in learning and development – TrainingZone.co.uk

Honestly Nigel, theres never a minute! This was a heartfelt comment from a senior learning leader a month or so ago when I happened to bump into her at an event. She was describing not just the challenges, but also the incredible excitement she was feeling, because her role in the organisation had shifted from the periphery to centre stage.

Perhaps for the first time, lots of people were listening to her and seeking her advice, and, above all, senior executives were investing willingly in the development of their staff.

This is genuinely exciting if you are a learning leader. Who would not want to have the whole organisation finally understand the direct business benefit of investing in staff? To play a part in keeping the whole organisation more agile, engaged and able to cope with the challenges of the present, as well as building resilience for the future was, indeed, a privilege.

There is something very powerful about being engaged, and working at the centre of what is driving an organisation. And because most people want to succeed and fulfil the promise and the trust that has been invested in them, they do not rest. Each day becomes a hive of activity and decision making.

I now want to pour a little cold water on that scenario. I worry about this frantic drive to do stuff! What we have known for at least 30 years is that taking stock is vitally important if we want to remain effective and relevant.

This idea is reinforced on a regular basis by new neuroscience research. Reflection is good for the brain and good for the individual. The truth is that the very elements of my colleagues success in that exciting present presages the potential failure of her strategy in the near future.

The plaudits she is getting now can easily turn into brickbats, when what she expects to happen, does not occur. Or where expensive investments that she engineered did not deliver the benefits promised or the hoped for increases in productivity. Before you get caught up in a whirlwind of activity please pay attention to these three simple points.

If you are not actually taking the time to look at what you are doing in a critical way, you run the danger of making assumptions that do not work, or work for a little bit and then fail.

In the 1990s Donald Schon published a very important book called The Reflective Practitioner. In this book he argued that the age of the expert, who knew everything about a topic, had come to an end. The environment was too complex for expertise gathered in the past to be wholly relevant in the present. Does that sound familiar?

Schon was arguing for a different kind of practitioner to reflect the modern age. This person spent more time enquiring, asking questions, and exploring and validating his or her domain than telling people what to do or providing ready-made solutions.

A critical part of this was the ability to reflect, not only looking backwards on the action that had taken place, but also to reflect in action.

This was about having the wherewithal to change an approach because the circumstances or the context had changed. He likened this process to the difference between standing on a hill and surveying everything from far off, where it all looks neat and logical, and moving down from the hill into the swampy lands below where its hard to make your way, and hard to see exactly the direction to take.

The point is that it is in the swampy lands below where your organisation lives. We do not work day to day in an abstract theoretical way. We have to make pragmatic decisions.

Some people have disagreed with Schons stark distinction between reflecting on action and reflecting in action. But the point is, if you are not actually taking the time to look at what you are doing in a critical way, you run the danger of making assumptions that do not work, or work for a little bit and then fail.

Neuroscience has taught us what most of us pragmatically know to be true: that the brain only learns when we stop for a second to process information.

After the Vietnam war, the US military changed the whole philosophy of leadership in the field, for very good reasons. And, out of that, emerged something called the after action review, which would even take place in the middle of a combat zone.

The review looked at every activity and engaged a simple process to review what worked, what did not work, and what could have been done better. This was all logged, and action was taken in light of the review. These reports were widely circulated, to not just the group involved, but to anybody who could benefit.

How many people in learning sit down quietly and conduct regular after action reviews? This can be about a relationship with a supplier, a relationship with an executive, or the implementation of some kind of programme. If the results are shared, the whole team learns and gets better and better. They all adapt and adjust as the environment changes.

Neuroscience has taught us what most of us pragmatically know to be true: that the brain only learns when we stop for a second to process information, and pause from cramming more and more information into our heads.

An example of this process is a doctoral program I have been involved with at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Over the years since inception we have systematically cut back the amount of content, in favour of reflection and discussion. Integrating the learning with various techniques for reflection and discussion has now become a core part of the programme. Even walk/talks are now embedded in the learning model.

This will NOT happen by itself. Immediate pressures will overwhelm the best of intentions. You have to take active steps to create some space in your life and your work to turn this into a habit.

Here are some ways to start this process:

Build slowly. Start with 15 mins per day. If you can do that consistently for two weeks, you will start to build a habit. Once the habit is established you will be able to find extra time to complete this task. If you have not established the habit, you will only sporadically achieve the space to reflect, and then it will become more and more sporadic and eventually you will return back to where you started. Pick a time when you can shut off. Develop a nagging voice in your head, and then listen to it.

Have a structure. Maybe just three questions to answer about what more information you need; what went well, and what went badly; what have you learned this week? And then decide with whom you will share these insights.

Write down your conclusions even if you do not act on them immediately. Keep them separate in a notebook or a file so you can go back later to review and prioritise. And guard the insights as bright ideas that will emerge. They will be gold dust at the right moment.

Share your actions and build support for reflection across your whole team. Once you have worked out how to do it, make it a team habit, and a team process. The learning is multiplied many times over as is your impact and effectiveness. It will also strengthen the team and share their learning.

Do not give up. Work on it, find space and embed the process. It is at the heart of agility and resilience.

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Why space for reflection is critical in learning and development - TrainingZone.co.uk

Neuroscience

Ipsen Donates 2 Million to the Institut Pasteur to Support Research on COVID-19 – Business Wire

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Regulatory News:

The biopharmaceutical group Ipsen has answered call of the Institut Pasteur and announces today a donation of 2 million dedicated to COVID-19 research. Since January, the Institut Pasteur has devoted a portion of its research to understanding the emerging COVID-19 virus, in terms of epidemiology, biological characteristics, pathogenicity, etc. A call for donations had been issued to support its teams and to further advance the projects underway.

Scientists at the Institut Pasteur quickly mobilized themselves in response to the fight against the coronavirus as soon as the epidemic broke out. Sequencing the virus genome, isolating French strains, epidemiological surveillance, the Institut Pasteur is on the front lines, conducting fundamental research to gather more knowledge and develop diagnostic tests and even vaccines.

To address the challenges of the unprecedented health crisis caused by COVID-19, the Ipsen group, one of Frances leading pharmaceutical companies, has joined forces with the Institut Pasteur following its call for donations. Funding in the amount of 2 million will be provided in the next few days to support research.

As an international biopharmaceutical company, Ipsen centers its business entirely around the development of treatments to save or improve the lives of patients. Faced with this major health crisis, we have chosen to back the work of scientists at the Institut Pasteur, and we are proud to do so. There is a colossal amount of pure research to be done to enable the development of diagnostics, vaccines and treatments, explained Aymeric Le Chatelier, CEO of Ipsen.

A dedicated coronavirus research facility

Since January, the Institut Pasteur in Paris has rallied a team of 300 employees in the fight against the coronavirus. They are also supported by teams from the Institut Pasteur International Network, a community of research institutes. These scientists are working on 21 priority scientific projects aimed at gaining extensive knowledge of the virus and its pathogenicity. The projects include the development of research tools (e.g., animal models), vaccine candidates, drug candidates, serological tests for diagnosis and epidemiological research.

The funds raised enable us to provide all the equipment and infrastructure our teams need to move forward with their research programs as quickly as possible. We also plan to launch new areas of study over time. The entire international scientific community has mobilized to provide the necessary knowledge about this new virus and to identify the means to combat it. We thank each individual and corporation that contributes financially to help us in this effort, concluded Stewart Cole, Director General of the Institut Pasteur.

About Ipsen

Ipsen is a global specialty-driven biopharmaceutical group focused on innovation and Specialty Care. The Group develops and commercializes innovative medicines in three key therapeutic areas Oncology, Neuroscience and Rare Diseases. Its commitment to oncology is exemplified through its growing portfolio of key therapies for prostate cancer, neuroendocrine tumors, renal cell carcinoma and pancreatic cancer. Ipsen also has a well-established Consumer Healthcare business. With total sales over 2.5 billion in 2019, Ipsen sells more than 20 drugs in over 115 countries, with a direct commercial presence in more than 30 countries. Ipsens R&D is focused on its innovative and differentiated technological platforms located in the heart of the leading biotechnological and life sciences hubs (Paris-Saclay, France; Oxford, UK; Cambridge, US). The Group has about 5,800 employees worldwide. Ipsen is listed in Paris (Euronext: IPN) and in the United States through a Sponsored Level I American Depositary Receipt program (ADR: IPSEY). For more information on Ipsen, visit http://www.ipsen.com

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Ipsen Donates 2 Million to the Institut Pasteur to Support Research on COVID-19 - Business Wire

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