Renewable Energy Lecture Kicks Off Science Lecture Series ~ Joshua Foer 'Moonwalking with Einstein'

PRLog (Press Release) - Feb. 23, 2012 - BIG ARTS presents three distinguished speakers who will explore leading issues in the worlds of health and science as part of its New Frontiers Lecture Series. Speakers are Dr. Jay Apt, a renewable energy expert (Saturday, March 17); Joshua Foer, a U.S. Memory Champion and author of the best-selling "Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything" (Wednesday, March 21); and Dr. Anthony Ritaccio, a researcher in Brain Mapping (Thursday, April 12).

Tickets are General Admission $26 and Student $10. All lectures begin at 7:30 p.m. in BIG ARTS Schein Performance Hall, 900 Dunlop Road, Sanibel, Florida. Group ticket rates are available, for ten or more people.
         
As Director of Carnegie Mellon University’s Electricity Industry Center, Dr. Apt is an esteemed and accomplished professor of technology. During his tenure as an astronaut, he flew four missions aboard U.S. Space Shuttles Atlantis and Endeavour, and is the recipient of a NASA Distinguished Service Medal for his significant contributions in the field of engineering. Dr. Apt is regularly published in "The New York Times" and "Washington Post." His BIG ARTS lecture is titled “Energy – What’s Next? Renewables, Battery Vehicles, Gas, Coal, and Energy Independence.”

The recently published author of "New York Times" best-selling "Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything," Foer is a science journalist who has written for "National Geographic," "Esquire" and "Slate." "Moonwalking" recounts Foer’s experience attending the 2005 U.S. Memory Championship to interview mental athletes for a journal piece on people with enhanced memory capabilities. He quickly became fascinated by the world of mnemonics and immersed himself in the challenge of training his own memory. A year later, he returned to the annual competition as a contender and became the Memory Champion of 2006. Foer received a $1.2 million advance for the book in 2006 at age 24 by Penguin Publishers. Film rights have recently been optioned for the story. Foer will challenge his audiences to become masters at their own memory game, whether in the boardroom, classroom or living room.

As the Director of Albany Medical College’s Epilepsy and Human Brain Mapping Program, Dr. Ritaccio is an expert in the fields of epileptic research, neurology and clinical neurophysiology. He is also Albany Med’s J. Spencer Standish Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery and its Vice Chairman in the Department of Neurology. Dr. Ritaccio will speak about his ground-breaking research exploring the brain-computer interface. His fascinating research has been featured on CBS News and PBS, and is currently featured as a permanent exhibit in the Hall of Human Origins at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. This title of his lecture is “Attention, Intention, and Anticipation: Decoding the Brain and Exploring the Brain-Computer Interface.”
         
New Frontiers Health & Science Lecture Series Grand Patron Series Sponsor FineMark National Bank & Trust
http://www.finemarkbank.com/

To purchase tickets and learn more about upcoming events and speakers at BIG ARTS, please call Marks Box Office at (239) 395-0900; e-mail info@BIGARTS.org; or log on to www.BIGARTS.org
http://www.bigarts.org/lecture-h.php

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Whether your interest is in classical, jazz, or popular music; dance; the visual arts; lectures; film or live theater; or in attending a class or workshop – BIG ARTS has something for everyone! BIG ARTS serves Sanibel, Captiva and Southwest Florida.