Molecular Biologist Discusses The Student Brain

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(Newswire.net — April 19, 2016) Singapore, Singapore — Singapore welcomed developmental molecular biologist Dr. John J. Medina on April 6, 2016 to speak on “The Learning Brain” at Singapore American School and the Swiss Club. An affiliate professor of bioengineering at the University of Washington School of Medicine, Dr. Medina has a lifelong fascination with the way the brain reacts to and organizes information. He was in Singapore as part of SpeakerSeries@SAS to share his insights on how the brain learns, and how brain science might influence the way we teach children.

Focusing on the genes involved in human brain development, Dr. Medina is a private research consultant working primarily in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries on research related to mental health. He was founding director of the Talaris Research Institute, a Seattle-based research center originally focused on how infants encode and process information at the cognitive, cellular, and molecular levels.

Dr. Medina’s New York Times best-selling book Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School is considered the standard handbook of understanding and improving the brain, and he is also the author of Brain Rules for Baby: How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child from Zero to Five. 

He was named Outstanding Faculty of the Year at the College of Engineering at the University of Washington, and was also the Merrill Dow/Continuing Medical Education National Teacher of the Year. A former consultant to the Education Commission of the States, Dr. Medina is a regular speaker on the relationship between neuroscience and education.

“From a brain sciences perspective, John’s work with brain science and his Brain Rules books taught us about our children’s developing brains, the effects of healthy and unhealthy stimulation on learning, as well as the impact of socialization and stress,” says SAS Superintendent Dr. Chip Kimball. “We support research-based practices, and want our students to be great problem-solvers who can build relationships and contribute to their communities alongside their outstanding academic success.”

 

About Singapore American School

Singapore American School (SAS) is an independent, non-profit, coeducational, college preparatory day school offering a US curriculum with an international perspective for students in preschool through grade 12. SAS has the largest Advanced Placement program outside of the United States, is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) in the US, and offers the American High School Diploma at the senior level. Established in 1956, the school primarily serves the US and international expatriate communities of Singapore. For more information, please visit www.sas.edu.sg or contact the SAS communications office at communications@sas.edu.sg or +65 6360 6031.

Singapore American School

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