Forum 2023: Our 21st Century Brain

OUR 21st CENTURY BRAIN

Date: Thursday, 2 November 2023, 9.00 am–5.30 pm AEDT
Venue: Government House Sydney (RSNSW member registration required) and live-streaming
Registration: Information to follow
Brochure: Full Program

Summary

The brain is our most complex organ. It underpins our basic instincts and needs and our behavioural responses to the world around us. Our brain mediates the compassion, reason, and imagination that are reflected in great works of the arts and sciences.  Yet our brain is also the source of distress, dysfunction, and malice. Despite centuries of recurring impacts of tribalism, racism, dehumanisation, and exclusion of ‘outsiders’, we continue to inflict suffering on others. 

At the same time, the 21st century brings new challenges that extend well beyond immediate threats to very complex societal challenges such as global security, climate change, massive demographic shifts, resource management, information overload, and artificial intelligence. Have we reached the edge of our human capacity to respond effectively as either individuals or collective groups?  

The context and demands on our brains have been transformed by the very tools we have created, including new information technology platforms, and rapidly developing and deployed forms of artificial intelligence.  Diseases of the brain are increasingly prevalent for our ageing population, as are the increasing mental health challenges evident across the lifespan. 

Considerable progress across the sciences and humanities has deepened our understanding of genetic, environmental, and social factors that underpin brain development and function, yet the rising demands on our capacity to respond appropriately to globalised threats bring an urgent need for novel, just, and sustainable solutions.

This year’s Royal Society of New South Wales and Learned Academies Forum focuses on recent progress in unravelling the workings of the brain and opportunities to use our emerging understanding to promote human well-being well beyond the 21st Century.  

The Forum is held under the auspices of Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales.  The Royal Society of New South Wales acknowledges the generous support by Her Excellency, the Academies, the Office of the NSW Chief Scientist and Engineer, and Haus Holdings.

PROGRAM: THURSDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2023 (8.30 AM – 6.00 PM

Time  
08:30–08:45  Registration and Guests seated
 
08:45–10:00 Official Opening

Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC
Governor of New South Wales

  Welcome and Acknowledgements

Susan Pond AM FRSN FTSE FAHMS
President, Royal Society of New South Wales

  Keynote Presentations

Moderator
Scientia Professor George Paxinos AO DistFRSN FAA FASSA FAHMS
NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow
Neuroscience Research Australia and UNSW Sydney

  Speaker
The enigmatic brain: from synapses to neural networks

Professor Lucy Palmer
Viertel Senior Medical Research Fellow
Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health
University of Melbourne

  Speaker via video
Lessons from developmental and cognitive neuroscience
Dr Joshua Gordon

Director
National Institute of Mental Health, USA

SESSION I: THE DEVELOPING MIND

Moderator
Professor Penny Bergen

Head, School of Education, Faculty of Arts, Social Sciences and the Humanities
University of Wollongong

William Wordsworth, a British romantic poet, in 1802 used the expression, “The child is the father of the man.” Psychologists have borrowed the poetry to emphasize the outsized influence of early experiences. Speakers in this session will discuss our contemporary understanding of early life influences from - 9 months to 25 years on the anatomy and physiology of the brain and the development of human cognitive, emotional, and social capabilities.

10:00–11:15 Professor Sharynne McLeod FRSN FASSA
Professor Speech and Language Acquisition
Charles Sturt University

  Professor Anne Castles FRSN FASSA
ARC Laureate Fellow
Australian Centre for the Advancement of Literacy
Australian Catholic University

  Professor Adam Guastella
Michael Crouch Chair in Child and Youth Mental Health, Sydney Children's Hospital at Westmead, and
The Brain and Mind Centre, Faculty of Medicine and Health
University of Sydney

  Associate Professor Kate Highfield
Discipline Lead for Early Childhood Education
University of Canberra

MORNING TEA SERVED ON THE VERANDAH (11:15–11:45)

SESSION II: THE BRAIN—SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES

Moderator
Professor Phillipa Pattison AO FRSN FASSA

Emeritus Professor
University of Sydney and University of Melbourne

The human brain has evolved an extraordinarily efficient information storage and processing capacity, arguably in response to the increasing social complexity of human life but is also subject to more immediate environmental influences that are social, cultural and technological in character. In this session, we consider what we know of these influences and their individual and societal impacts, and what this means for human capability.

11:45–13:00 Professor Jakelin Troy FASSA
Director Indigenous Research
University of Sydney

  Professor Andrew Chanen
Chief of Clinical Practice and Head of Personality Disorder Research, Orygen
Professorial Fellow, Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne

  Professor David Braddon-Mitchell FAHA
Discipline of Philosophy, School of Humanities
University of Sydney

  The Hon. Dr Andrew Leigh MP FASSA (by video)
Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury, and
Federal Member for Fenner in the ACT

  Dr Jennifer Kent
DECRA and Robinson Fellow, Urbanism Discipline Research Lead
University of Sydney School of Architecture, Design, and Planning

LUNCH SERVED ON THE VERANDAH (13:00–14:00)

SESSION III: THE BRAIN DISEASE BURDEN IN ADULTS

Moderator
Professor Anthony Cunningham AO FRSN FAHMS

Director, Centre for Virus Research, Westmead Institute for Medical Research
Vaccine Theme Leader, Sydney Infectious Diseases Institute, University of Sydney

This session will consider two of the major syndromes affecting the brain in adult life, dementia and long COVID, each with physical, psychological, social and economic impacts for the patient, their families, carers, and society. Both have inadequate treatments. Today there are ~400,000 people with dementia in Australia, expected to double by 2060, and it is now the leading cause of death. Long COVID is a multisystem illness, including ‘brain fog, persisting for weeks or months following COVID infection, often in the mid-adult age group with comorbidities.

14:00–15:00  Professor Glenda Halliday FAA FAHMS
NHMRC Leadership Fellow
School of Medical Sciences, Brain and Mind Centre
University of Sydney

  Professor Sharon Naismith
Leonard P. Ullman Chair in Psychology and
NHMRC Leadership Fellow
University of Sydney

  Professor Andrew Lloyd
NHMRC Practitioner Research Fellow, Kirby Institute
UNSW Sydney

SESSION IV: TURBOCHARGING HUMAN INTELLIGENCE WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Moderator
Professor Ian Oppermann FRSN FTSE

New South Wales Government Chief Data Scientist and
Industry Professor, University of Technology Sydney

It is argued that one of the major factors that drove the growth in size and complexity of our brains over millennia has been the need to deal with increasingly complex social environments, and increasingly intelligent other members of those social environments – an “arms race” of sorts driven by social interaction If instead of natural intelligence, we are faced with dealing with increased complexity from the interaction with Artificial Intelligence, what are the changes that we face as humans, and what implications does this have for the long-term development of the human brain?

15:00–16:00  Professor Sally Cripps
Director of Technology, Human Technology Institute, and
Professor of Mathematics and Statistics
University of Technology Sydney

  Professor Lyria Bennett Moses
Associate Dean (Research), Faculty of Law and Justice, and
Director of the UNSW Allens Hub for Technology, Law and Innovation
UNSW (Sydney)

  Ms Stela Solar
Director, National AI Centre
CSIRO

SESSION V: RAPPORTEUR REMARKS—IMPLICATIONS FOR THE FUTURE

This session aims to bring together the insights emerging from Sessions 1-IV and explore their implications for the future. We consider what actions are likely to be necessary, and what Governments and communities need from research and scholarship to take effective action.

16:00–17:00  Professor Ian Hickie AM FRSN FASSA FAHMS
NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow, Professor of Psychiatry, and
Co-Director, Health and Policy, Brain and Mind Centre
University of Sydney

REFRESHMENTS SERVED ON THE VERANDAH (17:00–18:00)

How to tag the Royal Society of New South Wales in your social media posts

Are you conducting some new research you're dying to share? Were you recently recognised for your contributions to your field? The Royal Society of New South Wales would always love to hear about it. 

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youtubeTagging the Society on YouTube

You can also tag the Society in your YouTube posts. Simply type "@RoyalSocNSW" in the description box when entering your video's details, then select "Royal Society of NSW" from the dropdown menu that pops up. "@RoyalSocNSW" will then appear in your video description, with a highlight indicating it is now a link to the Society's profile.

Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of NSW

 

Forthcoming Papers Accepted but not yet Published:

Deborah Beck. 
The Governor's scrapbook.

Len Fisher.
A simple past — a complex future: thoughts from the Heron Island symposium, “Complexity, Criticality and Computation.”

Stephen Gaukroger. 
Does science get the credit for too much?

Gus McLachlan and Andrew Condon. 
Drones, smart munitions and cyberspace: 21st-century defence of Ukraine & implications for Australia.

Wilfrid Prest.
Review of The Search for Truth: History and Future of Universities by Max Bennett (2022).

James Renwick. 
The Russia/Ukraine conflict —  developments in war crimes.

 

These six papers will appear in the December 2023 issue.

 

Up to Contents

ISSN (online): 2653-1305

Contents of JProcRSNSW, Vol. 156, Part 1, June 2023

Earlier

The complete Volume 156, Part 1, June 2023.

Robert E. Marks
Editorial: White, the Forum, the cosmos "awash" with gravity waves.
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 1-4

Refereed Paper:

Hugh White. 
This is going to be different: Learning to live with China.
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 5-26

The Royal Society of NSW and Five Academies Forum:
Reshaping Australia – Communities in Action

The Governor, Margaret Beazley.
Opening Address.
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 27-29

Susan Pond, Stephen Garton, Julianne Schultz.
Welcome and Introduction
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 30-37

Andrew Leigh.
Ministerial Address.
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 38

Richard Holden.
I Setting the Scene: Reshaping Australia: some economic observations.
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 39-47

Alison Frame.
I Setting the Scene.
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 48-52

Kalinda Griffiths.
I Setting the Scene. Visibility, power and equity: using Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander data to drive equity in Australia.
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 53-60

James O'Donnell.
I Setting the Scene: Social cohesion, diversity and inequalities in Australian communities.
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 61-69

Schultz, Holden, Frame, Griffiths, & O'Donnell.
I Setting the Scene: Discussion and Questions.
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 70-74

Bernie Shakeshaft. 
II Health and Communities.
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 75-79

Sally Redman.
II Health and Communities. .
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 80-83

Elizabeth Elliott.
II Health and Communities. Communities committed to championing child health
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 84-92

Maree Teesson et al. 
II Health and Communities. A mentally healthy future for all Australians.
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 93-97

Schultz, Shakeshaft, Redman, Elliott, & Teesson.
II Health and Communities. Discussion and Questions.
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 98-103

Louise Adams.
III Natural and Built Environmenrt.
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 104-106

David Schlosberg. 
III Natural and Built Environment. Communities in action: grounded imaginaries in practice.
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 107-109

Tone Wheeler.
III Natural and Built Environment. Inequality in housing, and community solutions..
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 110-125

Angelica Kross.
III Natural and Built Environment. A Western Sydney activist’s presentation.
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 126-127

Schultz, Adams, Schlosberg, Wheeler, & Kross.
III Natural and Built Environment. Discussion and Questions.
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 128-134

Peter Shergold.
IV Education. Reshaping Australian education.
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 135-137

Pasi Sahlberg. 
IV Education. Achieving equity in education is contingent on clearly defining it.
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 135-145

Kim Beswick.
IV Education. Segregating students in NSW is exacerbating inequities and damaging achievement: We need to change the public discourse.
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 146-153

Lisa Jackson Pulver.
IV Education.
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 154-158

Schultz, Shergold, Sahlberg, Beswick, & Jackson Pulver.
IV Education. Question and Discussion.
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 159-161

Julianne Schultz, Ariadne Vromen, and Lisa Jackson Pulver.
V Summary and Solutions.
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 162-171

Stephen Garton, Susan Pond.
Report and Closing Remarks.
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 172-175

Obituaries:

Davina Jackson and Robert Marks.
Ragbir Singh Bhathal FRSN (1936–2022)
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 176-177

Robert Marks.
Christopher Joseph Fell AO FRSN HonFIEAust (1940−2022)
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 178-180

Robert Marks and others.
Jeremy Guy Ashcroft Davis AM FRSN (1942–2023)
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 181-184

The Royal Society of New South Wales Awards for 2023:
Journal & Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales 156: 185-189

Later

Up to Contents

ISSN (online): 2653-1305

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