2005 Conference Keynote Speaker Dr. Marian Cleeves Diamond
A professor of anatomy, Marian Cleeves Diamond was the first woman on the science faculty at Berkely. She is the author of five books and over 155 scientific articles. Her book, Enriching Heredity, describes her life work of ascertaining that the anatomy of the brain can be changed by the environment. Dr.Diamond's distinguished research career at UC Berkeley, studying environmental effects on the structure and function of the brain, will be both relevant and interesting for faculty and student researchers.
Professor Diamond's discovery that the brain continues to develop at any age with proper stimulation has revolutionized thinking about aging. An equally significant finding of Daimond's is that female and male brains are structured differently. Her studies conclusively show that positive, nurturing environments that encourage interaction and response are the prime conditions for developing the more complex neural networks that appear to be the "hardware" of intelligence. Her work also indicates the ongoing influence of environment, experience, learning, and emotions on neural equipment throughout life- for better or for worse.
In addition to her time spent at UC Berkeley, Dr.Diamond has taught at Harvard, Cornell, and universities at Australia, Venezuela, Africa, and China. She will discuss her extensive research including her "Enrichment in Action" program working with children in a Cambodian orphanage, based on her decades of research. Her research career will be interesting to psychological researchers studying psychophysiology, health, cognition, or development, and her most recent research projects will interest community and social researchers. Don't miss this inspirational and dynamic speaker!
For more on Professor Diamond click here.
