UT researchers explained brain processes to hundreds of Austinites at the Erwin Center on Tuesday night.
The Center for Learning and Memory hosted the second annual Memory Matters: Exploring Memory Through Research event, where attendees viewed seven research demonstrations, including memory testing, computer simulations of the brain and how the brain learns navigation.
“Basic research is typically not well-understood and not well-recognized as the foundation that leads to new discoveries of treatments and diseases,” said center director Dan Johnston. “We thought having a public forum of this sort would allow us to explain it better.”
Neurobiology professors Kristen Harris and Richard Aldrich provided an overview of brain functionality.
“A small change in a molecule can actually have very profound effects of the structure of the brain that can then have effects on learning and memory and other functions,” Aldrich said.
Studying basic functions of the brain can help researchers understand how it works, Johnston said.
“I would love to have my memory not fail,” Johnston said. “Everyone wants a solution, but it’s a practical problem of biology.”
Johnston explained that the brain stores short-term memories and long-term memories at two different locations in the brain.
“I try not to cram for exams because it’s not effective for learning the material,” said undeclared sophomore Lance Twomey. “But cramming can work for the short term.”
Some professors use the Learning Record, a database of students’ observations and findings, to monitor students’ performance and help them effectively learn and process information.
“The Learning Record allows students to learn about their process of learning and how they can make it work better,” said Margaret Syverson, an associate rhetoric and writing professor. “It helps me as a teacher because it gives me some insight as to the obstacles for students and how I can help support them learn better.”
Memorization can be effective for certain skills and limited contexts, said integrative biology professor Dick Richardson. But creative thinking is a more complex form of learning that’s important for understanding contextual details, he said.
“I can help [students] learn, but learning is ultimately a personal experience,” Richardson said. “What a student learns represents an interaction between the effort and time they invest, and the teacher is a guide to help this process work effectively.”
Richardson gives his students essay tests to avoid what he calls “superficial study habits.”
“Cramming just makes things more stressful,” said communication studies sophomore Leah Wise. “But self-discipline is needed to stay on track.”
Nine faculty members constitute the Center for Learning and Memory, which aims to combine research on different parts of the brain to better understand it as a whole.
“Most people don’t know a lot about how the brain functions,” said Gisela Gandara, a St. Edward’s University psychology senior who attended the event. “We never have these types of events on campus, but this one is really informing the public.”
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