When: Monday, July 20th 7-9 PM
What:The Neuroscience of Meditation Revisited
Where: Atlas Cafe, 3049 20th St @ Alabama St. in the Mission District
Who: Dr. Philippe Goldin, Stanford Dept of Pyschology
The Deets:
Dr. Philippe Goldin first visited us in 2007. He focused on the basics of Mindfulness meditation, the practice of bringing one’s attention to the present, which has been said to provide tremendous well-being and emotional balance. Over the past few years, many therapists have begun to use meditation as a treatment for patients with mild anxiety and depressive tendencies. Scientific studies have followed suit, illustrating how meditation “re-wires” neural systems related to attention & emotion.

After two years, he has much more data on the relation between meditation and neurological systems (and he has the pictures to prove it!). He will present data from recent functional neuroimaging studies demonstrating meditation related changes in the neural bases of various neuropsychological systems. Specifically, how meditation practice interacts with brain systems supporting attention, emotion, and self processing, which together mediate psychological balance or imbalance.

In this highly experiential science café, Philippe will guide us in specific short meditations and then relay the results from scientific studies. This will certainly be a very “centering” science discussion.

Philippe is a research scientist and heads the Clinically Applied Affective Neuroscience group in the Department of Psychology at Stanford University. He spent 6 years in India and Nepal studying various languages, Buddhist philosophy and debate at Namgyal Monastery and the Dialectic Monastic Institute, and serving as an interpreter for various Tibetan Buddhist lamas. He then returned to the U.S. to complete a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at Rutgers University.

His NIH-funded clinical research focuses on (a) functional neuroimaging investigations of cognitive-affective mechanisms in adults with anxiety disorders, (b) comparing the effects of mindfulness meditation and cognitive-behavioral therapy on brain-behavior correlates of emotional reactivity and regulation, and (c) training children in family and elementary school settings in mindfulness skills to reduce anxiety and enhance compassion, self-esteem and quality of family interactions.

Watch the 2007 lecture and his recent talk at Google.

Science Live!
NIF Tour is full, please email to be added to wait list
When: Friday, July 24th, 9 AM - 1 PM
What:Science Tour of NIF Facility
Where:Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA
The Deets:Due to overwhelming popularity, we're going back on a tour of the National Ignition Facility. We'll start with a short overview of the facility, move through the field of capacitors, and finally end at the target chamber. You'll have all of your questions answered and then some. This was one of the best tours I have ever been on, I highly recommend it.

Due to security restrictions, only US citizens will be able to attend the tour. In addition, you will need to file a tour info form by July 3rd with NIF so they can conduct a background check. Tour will be limited to 14 people. Last time, we had a number of people flake at the last minute which prevented others from going on the tour. Please sign up only if you know you'll be able to attend.

For more information and to sign up, send me an email.

When: Sunday, August 9th 12 noon - 7 PM
What:Foraging Tour in the East Bay Hills with Transported SF
Where:The Transported Bus will pick up at Papa Toby's Revolution Cafe (3248 22nd Street in the Mission, SF)
Cost:$35, Tickets available online
Down to a Science is channeling its inner foodie with a day of foraging in the sun!

Iso Rabins will be our guide as we forage local and sustainable cuisine in the east bay hills. He'll teach us how to identify wild edibles all around you, from wild fennel to mallow. Many of the plants we see everyday can be consumed on the spot (although better after a quick rinse). We'll be taking a collecting walk, then making snacks that includes some of what we foraged. There will be plenty of time to relax and enjoy the day.

Iso Rabins is the founder of http://www.foragesf.com,a CSF with the mission to connect Bay Area dwellers with the wild food that is all around them. From wild mushrooms to acorn flour, there is a wealth of edible forage just outside our doors that few people know about, and still fewer ever consume. The goal is to push people out of the supermarket, to get them trying new foods harvested sustainably and fairly by their neighbors. Please wear proper clothing as we will get a little dirty gathering cuisine. NOTE: No one under 21 years old will be admitted. Tickets available online

When: Monday, July 13th, 7-9 PM
What:Down to a Science Book Club: "Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers" by Robert Sapolsky
Where: Books Inc, 601 Van Ness @ Turk, 2 blocks north of SF City Hall
The Book: San Francisco recently ranked as the 5th most stressful city in the world. And this data came before the current economic meltdown (and probably doesn't even take a ride on the 38 Geary into account). It's no wonder we suffer from chronic stress related diseases. In our next book, we tackle stress and why don't zebras get ulcers--or heart disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases--when people do. In a fascinating look at the science of stress, biologist Robert Sapolsky presents an intriguing case, that people develop such diseases partly because our bodies aren't designed for the constant stresses of a modern-day life--like sitting in daily traffic jams or growing up in poverty. Rather, they seem more built for the kind of short-term stress faced by a zebra--like outrunning a lion.

With wit, graceful writing, and a sprinkling of Far Side cartoons, Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers makes understanding the science of stress an adventure in discovery. "This book is a primer about stress, stress-related disease, and the mechanisms of coping with stress. How is it that our bodies can adapt to some stressful emergencies, while other ones make us sick? Why are some of us especially vulnerable to stress-related diseases, and what does that have to do with our personalities?"

Sapolsky concludes with a hopeful chapter, titled "Managing Stress." Sapolsky highlights the studies that suggest we do have some control over stress-related ailments, based on how we perceive the stress and the kinds of social support we have.

Looking for even more science in the Bay Area? Check out BayAreaScience, the Best of Science by the Bay.