National Science on Screen® Day
ARRIVAL
Tuesday, March 26 at 7 PM
with a presentation on The Mysteries of Language and Communication
by Neuroscientist Arkarup Banerjee, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Arrival, from acclaimed director Denis
Villeneuve (Dune, Dune: Part Two, Prisoners, Sicario,
Incendies, Blade Runner 2049), is a rare modern sci-fi
blockbuster that places as much importance on ideas and emotions as spectacle. Amy
Adams stars as Louise Banks, a linguist who embarks on an exploration of
language, communication, and the very essence of humanity in the face of an
alien encounter. When twelve spacecraft suddenly appear hovering in the skies
over scattered locations around the Earth, nervous military and government
leaders wonder what they have to hope—or fear—from these unexpected visitors.
It is up to Banks to decode the alien’s language before the tense impasse leads
to carnage.
Following the film, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
neuroscientist Dr. Arkarup Banerjee will delve into the mysteries of
language and communication as they relate to the brain. Dr. Banerjee's work
explores the theme of decoding messages and touches on the fundamental
assumptions of reality which are unpacked in the film. This discussion will
include a live Q&A with the audience. Discover how every species and culture's
unique symbols and codes shape our understanding of the world around us, and
uncover the intriguing ways in which our brains navigate the limits and
possibilities of language.
Dr. Arkarup Banerjee is a neuroscientist at Cold
Spring Harbor Laboratory interested in how the brain accomplishes the ongoing
transformation from sensation to action during natural behaviors. Currently, he
studies neural circuits underlying vocal communication in an exotic rodent
species from Central American rainforests called the ‘singing mouse.’ He
studies their brain circuits in relation to motor behavior and social
communication. This research allows him to gain insight into the evolution of
the brain, language, and communication. Dr. Banerjee grew up in the suburbs of
Kolkata in India. He studied Biochemistry for his bachelor’s degree at
University of Delhi and received his Ph.D from CSHL School of Biological
Sciences. For his master's thesis at TIFR (Mumbai), he worked with Prof.
Sudipta Maiti, he learned how to build multi-photon microscopes for functional
imaging. Switching to systems neuroscience, he did his Ph.D. with Dr. Florin
Albeanu studying computations and neural circuits involved in olfactory sensory
processing. Subsequently, as a Junior Fellow at the Simons Foundation and a
postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Michael Long’s lab at NYU, he became interested in
motor cortical control of vocal behaviors in the Alston's singing mice.
An initiative of the COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE, with major support from the ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION.
