Professor Robert Desimone of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology will deliver the third Ian P. Howard Lecture in Vision Science this Friday. Desimone’s lecture, titled "Neural Synchrony and Attention", will take place at 2pm in the Seymour Schulich Assembly Hall, W141 Seymour Schulich Building on York’s Keele campus. The lecture will conclude with a brief question and answer 
session followed by a wine and cheese reception.
Left: Robert Desimone
Desimone’s research focuses on disorders of perception, attention and memory that frequently accompany the major mental diseases. To understand the neural mechanisms of these mental processes, Desimone and his researchers are recording the activity of neurons in the brains of primates engaged in tasks requiring visual discrimination, attention and memory. Then, using the results from the neurophysiological studies, the research team makes predictions about the physiological organization of human cortex.
The director of the McGovern Institute and Professor in the Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department, Desimone has also, for the past six years, been the director of the National Institute of Mental Health Intramural Research Program, the largest mental health research centre in the world. Desimone received his PhD from Princeton University. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts of Sciences, and a recipient of numerous awards, including the Troland Prize of the National Academy of Sciences and the Golden Brain Award of the Minerva Foundation.
The Ian P. Howard Lecture Series in Vision Science provides a venue for world-renowned vision researchers to deliver lectures on their findings.
The series was established in 2006 to celebrate Howard’s enormous contributions to the international reputation of York’s Centre for Vision Research. Howard’s own research investigates the fundamental mechanisms that enable humans to orient themselves and perceive the three-dimensional layout of their surroundings.
For further information visit the Ian P. Howard Lecture Series in Vision Research Web page or contact Teresa Manini, administrative assistant, Centre for Vision Research, at ext. 55659 or e-mail manini@cvr.yorku.ca.