Closed brain injury -- damage to the brain without skull penetration -- is a characteristic injury of the war in Iraq. It is much more prevalent then in previous wars due in part to increased survivability of major injuries to the body and to increased exposure to blasts from improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Providing care and treatment for returning service men and women who have sustained such injuries is a major ongoing concern facing the United States.

Come for a discussion of issues surrounding traumatic brain injuries such as those sustained in the Iraq war, research examining the diverse effects of blasts on the brain, and current and potential future directions for prevention and treatment of head injury.

For more info see:
Research at Chicago video on Dr. Hale "Circuit-Breaking: The Startle Response and Neuromotor Function"

March 10-16 is Brain awareness week!

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Recent developments in Astroparticle Physics have begun to revolutionize our view of the most energetic processes in the present Universe. From TeV gamma-rays, to ZeV cosmic rays, the high energy frontier is beginning to probe particle interactions at the highest energies while the most energetic cosmic accelerators become directly observable. The implications of these new findings for particle physics and astrophysics are only starting to become clear. A new era of multi-messenger particle astronomy is dawning, opening a new window to the Universe. The time is right for experimenters and theorists to examine the state of the field.

The program includes plenary sessions by invited speakers summarizing the state of the art in high-energy astroparticle physics. Afternoon workshops offer the opportunity to contribute your own views and results in an open and inspiring atmosphere. A panel discussion on future physics goals and next-generation instruments will be the highlight of the symposium.

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics (KICP) and the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC) that sponsor the panel discussion.
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KICP Members: James W. Cronin; Lucy Fortson; Angela V. Olinto; Alan Watson

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The GSMT Science Working Group (SWG) is promoting the public-private partnership in a next generation Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) that received the highest ranking of all ground-based programs in the 2000 Decadal Survey of Astronomy & Astrophysics. The Thirty-Meter-Telescope (TMT) and the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) are two ambitious but viable projects that have responded to the Decadal Survey's challenge. The Science Working Group believes that, over the decade, the case for facilities such as GMT and TMT is even more compelling: these are essential tools to continued progress in high-priority science goals in our field.
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Related Links:
Scientific projects: Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT)

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Dr. Wendy Freedman is the Director of the Carnegie Observatories, the inaugural Brinson Lecturer at The University of Chicago, and currently in charge of building the world's largest telescope. However, she is perhaps best known for leading the team that determined rate at which our universe is expanding. Join Dr. Freedman for an exciting evening exploring the forefronts of astronomy, as we prepare to mark the 400th anniversary of when Galileo Galilei first turned a telescope to the sky. In the last few decades alone, we have discovered about 300 new planets outside of those in our own Solar System, detected massive black holes, and observed the entire universe to be expanding at an increasing rate, pulled apart by a cosmic force, unexplained by any of our current physical theories. Dr. Freedman will focus on recent astronomical discoveries, and show how giant new telescopes planned for both the ground and space will address some of the biggest mysteries in astronomy today.
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Related Links:
KICP Members: Edward W. Kolb

As part of the Chicago Humanities Festival, Joel at 10-11 am on Saturday Nov 8 at .