PEN Distinguished Lecture Series
The PEN Distinguished Lecture Series in Educational Neuroscience was created in association with the Foundations Proseminar course for graduate students in the Ph.D. in Educational Neuroscience (PEN) program. Since its inception, the series has grown!
The lecture series focuses on the intersection of the Science of Learning (learning across the lifespan) and Educational Neuroscience (learning across early life). Scientists and researchers who are pioneers in the fields of Cognitive-Educational Neuroscience, Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, and Child Development come to Gallaudet University's campus to talk about their research.
Register for Upcoming Lectures
All lectures are open to the public and are video recorded for online distribution.
PEN DLS brochure for 2024-2025
How does a difference in sensory input change a person's development?
Dr. Marina Bedny conducts fascinating research into how blindness affects brain organization, language, and the construction of abstract concepts. For example, what do blind adults know about vision-related terms like “sparkling” and “flashing?” How do blind children acquire such concepts? Dr. Bedny's work uses brain imaging to ask these questions, revealing astounding insights about the nature of human perception and sensation.
To watch the archived video go here.
Biography:
Dr. Marina Bedny, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Bedny is also the director of her own research lab, which focuses on studying how developmental experiences shape the human brain. Her research uses functional neuroimaging to compare the minds and brains of people with different developmental experiences. One line of research focuses on investigating cortical neuroplasticity in the brains of congenitally blind and late-blind individuals, with the goal of understanding how their visual cortex reorganizes in light of different perceptual inputs. Dr. Bedny’s work has resulted in dozens of peer-reviewed articles, and has been covered in major news outlets such as The Guardian, The Baltimore Sun, and Discover Magazine.
Education:
Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology, University of Pennsylvania
M.A. in Experimental Psychology, University of Pennsylvania
B.A. in Cognitive Science, Johns Hopkins University