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Introduction by Rebecca Spencer, Professor of Psychological & Brain Sciences, UMass Amherst.Science on Screen® presents creative pairings of current, classic, cult, and documentary films with lively introductions by notable figures from the world of science, technology, and medicine.
Joel (Jim Carrey) is stunned to discover that his girlfriend, Clementine (Kate Winslet), has had their tumultuous relationship erased from her mind. Out of desperation, he contacts the inventor of the process, Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson), to get the same treatment. But as his memories of Clementine begin to fade, Joel suddenly realizes how much he still loves her.
Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood, and David Cross co-star in this cult favorite from writer Charlie Kaufman (ADAPTATION., BEING JOHN MALKOVICH) and director Michel Gondry (THE SCIENCE OF SLEEP).
Topic: “Asleep at the Reel: How our brain detects, directs, and edits the stories of our lives”
Emotions flag memories as worth saving, explaining why we remember the birth of a child or the loss of a friend more than the mundane days before those emotional events. Sleep filters memories, preserving those that are emotionally flagged. Is it possible to erase unwanted memories by manipulating what happens in our sleep, the basis of ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND? Twenty years after the making of the film, neuroscience techniques have brought some aspects of this film closer to reality. Neuroscientist Rebecca Spencer will provide scientific insight into how the brain stores memories and how those memories can be manipulated by sleep and contribute to our dream experiences.
Speaker: Rebecca Spencer, Professor of Psychological & Brain Sciences, UMass Amherst
Rebecca Spencer is a Professor in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Purdue University, followed by postdoctoral training at the University of California, Berkeley. Her research program aims to understand the function of sleep, particularly cognitive functions, and how changes in sleep with development and aging relate to these sleep functions. Her work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health for the past 20 years and has been featured in many media outlets, including the New York Times, Washington Post, and the Netflix series Babies.
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Event Venue
28 Amity St, Amherst, MA, United States, Massachusetts 01002
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