Technion young guns coming to town
TECHNION Australia (TA) has announced that Assistant Professors Itamar Kahn and Asya Rolls of the Technion Rappaport Faculty of Medicine will be the guest speakers at this year’s TA annual Celebration Supper on Sunday, May 18.
TECHNION Australia (TA) has announced that Assistant Professors Itamar Kahn and Asya Rolls of the Technion Rappaport Faculty of Medicine will be the guest speakers at this year’s TA annual Celebration Supper on Sunday, May 18.
It will be the only public appearance for the 2014 Technion Australia Theeman Scholars, who are also attending a mental health forum in Perth. Also in attendance will be NSW Governor, Professor Marie Bashir.
TA (NSW) executive director Ken Lander said Assistant Professors Kahn and Rolls represent the “new, dynamic, young generation” of Technion researchers and teachers.
“We are extremely excited that they were able to join us to share their cutting-edge research into the brain, given the current debate in Australia about mental illness and disability,” he said.
Recruited to the Technion from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University, Kahn investigates the dynamic interaction between neural circuits, essential for many brain functions.
Recruited from Stanford University, Rolls deals with a range of issues involving sleep and its impact on brain function and illness, in particular looking at the effects of sleep on the brain and the immune system.
“Professor Rolls will be speaking about the placebo effect on the brain and how understanding it may help develop cures for a range of mental illnesses such as depression, autoimmune disorders and Parkinson’s disease,” Lander said.
“Professor Kahn will speak on understanding communication breakdown in the brain and how cells which are not dead but misbehaving can be harnessed to slow disease progression.
“This may provide significant breakthroughs in treating diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.”
TA (NSW) president Ruth Ratner added that it was particularly pleasing that Governor Bashir would also be attending given that this is her last year in the vice-regal role.
“The Governor has always recognised the Technion’s contribution to science, technology, engineering and medicine and we are thrilled that she has again agreed to make time in her busy schedule to join us,” she said.
Funds raised on the evening will go to support the Technion–Sydney University–NSW Government Photonics Research project announced last December.
The supper is on Sunday, May 18 at 7.30pm. More information: www.austechnion.com.
AJN STAFF
Itamar Kahn in his laboratory.
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