The power of the brain lies in the teamwork of the nerve cells (neurons) that comprise it. At the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences at the Hebrew University, which was established just four years ago, brainstorming occurs daily among researchers from different disciplines working in the same corridor: theorists, computer scientists, cognitive psychologists and biologists. This remarkable synergy inevitably leads to new insights, making the whole greater than the sum of its parts.
As part of its vision, the Center sees brain research as a dialogue between the researcher and the non-scientist who is interested in the implications of brain research, and is affected by them directly. Through lectures about the brain that are open to the public, various exhibitions on the brain, special television programs, written educational materials and collaborative brainstorming, the Center hopes to make brain research accessible to anyone who is interested, with this meeting between ELSC researchers and you here at the First Station being just one example.
This exhibition is the product of a unique collaboration between brain researchers and Israel’s leading cartoonists. Prof. Eilon Vaadia, Director of the Center and himself a brain researcher, spoke with the country’s best cartoonists about the multidisciplinary brain research taking place at the university. At this meeting, he explained how the brain can be examined using innovative research approaches – from single gene to the level of behavior and cognition – in an era when supercomputers can simulate its various activities through the use of mathematical and physical models.
Through lines, color, and touches of exaggeration and humor, these cartoonists sketched their interpretations of the wonders of the brain. The result is a collection of distinct creations: some of the works are comic strips, and some are individual caricatures – but all give one food for thought!
This initiative is sponsored by the Hebrew University and the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences
