SFU Skeptics

I just got an email announcing a new meetup that’s starting Monday at the Railway Club (Seymour and Dunsmuir St. downtown). It’s organized by UBC’s National Core for Neuroethics and is called Café Neuroéthique. Here’s some info:

VANCOUVER CAFÉ NEUROÉTHIQUE
Do you ever wonder what your brain might reveal about you? Are you excited by news stories that claim scientists have found love, prejudice, or faith in a particular part of the brain? Or do you worry about how information from brain scans might be used in court, in business, or in health insurance?
If so, Café Neuroéthique is for you! As neuroscience provides ever more information about the neural bases of disease, development, thought, personality, and behaviour, it also raises questions about how this information should be used. At Café Neuroéthique, we explore these questions through informal discussions, presentations, and arts events. You might meet a physician, ethicist, or philosopher over a drink, or hear a scientist talking about their cutting edge research – but you don’t need to know anything about the brain to come along. The format is relaxed, and you’re welcome to contribute, ask questions, or just sit back and listen.
Café Neuroéthique is based in Vancouver, at the University of British Columbia’s National Core for Neuroethicsin Canada. The Core’s objective is to align innovations in the brain sciences with societal, cultural and individual human values through high impact research, education and outreach.
To RSVP for an event, or to receive notification of upcoming events, send an e-mail with your name and e-mail address to Dr Louise Whiteley – lewhiteley@gmail.com. We also have a facebook group.

And their first event:

CAFÉ NEUROÉTHIQUE PRESENTS:
Interior Traces Film Screening
Monday 21st June, 6.30-8.30pm
Michael is in prison for murder, and thinks a brain scan will help him ‘prove’ his innocence… But is the science ready? And is Michael treated differently because he’s been diagnosed as a psychopath?
Interior Traces is a new multimedia drama exploring how different ways of seeing the brain might change how we see ourselves. Come and find out what happens to Michael at this inaugural Café Neuroéthique event, and join in a discussion about the ethics of his story with psychiatrists, Emily Borgelt from UBC’s National Core for Neuroethics, and Dr Louise Whiteley, who is one of the writers of the play.
The event is free, and drinks will be available for purchase from the delightful Railway Club bar – find us in the back room (and on facebook!)
The Railway Club, 579 Dunsmuir Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 1Y4, Canada

So check them out on Facebook and join up with them if you like stimulating discussions about the brain.