Science & Society session

As modern science impacts all areas of our everyday lives, ENCODS 2018 strives to provide participants with examples of how their scientific research can be used outside the lab. With the goal of inspiring scientists to reflect on how their own research can be incorporated into society, the Science & Society Session, titled “Methods of an Embodied Mind” will focus on sociological, philosophical and artistic applications of neuroscience. Curated and moderated by Dr. Lindsay Petley-Ragan, the panel will investigate the specific theme of embodied cognition as it relates to virtual reality, dance, mental illness and music. The session will include a discussion with Kalina Bertin (Montreal, CAN), director of ManicVR, a new virtual reality experience that simulates the development of bipolar disorder, Carolien Hermans (Utrecht, NL), a dancer investigating educational dance models for children with special needs, and Dr. Luc Nijs (Ghent, BEL), a musician researching the musician-instrument relationship as it relates to body movement. This session explores the relationship between mind and body through art and science and has been generously supported by the Schering Stiftung, Berlin.

Kalina Bertin

Director, Producer, Cinematographer

Kalina Bertin is an award-winning filmmaker based in Montreal. After completing her degree in film production at UQÀM, she quickly realized that if she didn’t set out to understand the mental illness in her family it would destroy her. This process gave birth to her award-winning documentary film Manic, which explores the legacy of bipolar disorder in her family.

Aiming to build empathy and awareness toward such a complex condition, Kalina is currently directing a virtual reality experience which will enable the viewer to explore the world of manic depression from within.

Carolien Hermans

Carolien Hermans is currently a PhD student in the department of Theatre Studies at Utrecht University. This study is exploratory, investigating learning objectives and educational dance models for children with special needs. Carolien’s research focuses on: 1) children with an autism spectrum disorder, 2) children with behavioral and developmental disorder (ADHD, pervasive developmental disorder, conduct disorder) and 3) children who are deaf or hearing impaired. The purpose of this research study is to establish a theoretical framework, providing a basis for dance education for children with special needs.

Luc Nijs

Luc Nijs is a musician, educator and researcher, currently working as a postdoc at IPEM, a center of excellence in research on musical interaction (Ghent University, Belgium). He devotes his time to the development of [research & practice]-based innovative movement-based approaches to instrumental music teaching and learning.

The leitmotiv in his work is the integration of theoretical, empirical and practical research: my research is constantly inspired by his experience as performer and teacher.

Moderator: Lindsay Petley-Ragan, PhD