This week we put our thinking caps on.

Richard and Joe’s guest was Ralph J.Greenspan, Ph.D. Director of the Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind and Director of The Center for Brain Activity Mapping (CBAM) at UCSD. On top of that, he is also the co-Director of the cal-BRAIN program. That is a lot of directing. The reason for that is simple, Dr. Greenspan was one of the team of scientists who wrote a white paper for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy that lead to President Obama’s BRAIN initiative announced in 2014. To quote Dr. Greenspan, “Our ultimate goal is no less than a full understanding of the global network activity of the brain.”

In their discussion Dr. Greenspan explains his role along with other scientists in the creation of the BRAIN initiative. They also discuss the goals of the project and how it will have broad applications beyond the medical and into technology development and business. Dr. Greenspan also explains his public forum “Our Precious Brain” on Sept. 12th, a forum for the public to learn about current and future status of brain research.

Dr. Greenspan has authored several books on fly genetics and techniques, the nervous system and how genetics influence behavior. He began his career working on the genetics of fruit fly behavior at Brandeis University, where he received his B.A. and Ph.D, under the guidance of one of the founder of fruit fly genetics, Jeffery Hall. Since then, he was Assistant Professor of Biology, Princeton University, Associate Member, Department of Neurosciences, Roche Institute of Molecular Biology, Associate Member, Department of Neurosciences, Roche Institute of Molecular Biology, Senior Fellow in Experimental Neurobiology, The Neurosciences Institute, San Diego, and Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Fellow in Experimental Neurobiology, The Neurosciences Institute, San Diego.

LISTEN TO PODCAST

Listen to a podcast of Dr. Ralph Greenspan’s interview!