National Science on Screen® Day is March 26!
The Cinema Arts Centre, multi-year recipient of the prestigious Science on Screen grant from COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE, with major support from the ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION will celebrate National Science on Screen Day with a screening of ARRIVAL on Tuesday, March 26 at 7 PM with a presentation on The Mysteries of Language and Communication by Neuroscientist Arkarup Banerjee, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
GET TICKETS HERE.
Science on Screen creatively pairs screenings of classic, cult, science fiction, and documentary films with lively presentations by notable experts from the world of science and technology. Each film is used as a jumping-off point for a speaker to introduce current research or technological advances in a manner that engages popular culture audiences.
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, and 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.
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