How to put your brain on the Internet

You check your iPhone so often that it might as well be a part of your body, so why not skip the tiny screen and clunky keyboard. In “How to put your brain on the Internet,” author Michael Chorost will show emerging technologies that allow brain activity to be read and altered in unprecedented detail. The program will be on Tuesday, October 21, 3:00–5:00 p.m., in Foster Auditorium, 102 Paterno Library, and also on MediaSite Live.

Dr. Chorost will outline what a future “World Wide Mind” (http://michaelchorost.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/WorldWideMind-Chorost.pdf) could look like, and he asks, “Would you want to be part of it?” His talk will include audio simulations of what he hears as a cochlear implant user and videos of cutting-edge neuroprosthetic technologies. His book, “Rebuilt: How becoming part machine made me more human,” (http://michaelchorost.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/rebuilt-excerpt-chapter1.pdf) has been instrumental in helping people who are deaf to consider getting cochlear implants.

The presentation, one of several events on campus during October for Disabilities Awareness Month, is open to the public, but seating is limited, so attendees are urged to arrive early. It is sponsored by the Institute for the Arts and Humanities; the Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity; the College of the Liberal Arts; the Presidential Leadership Academy; The Schreyer Honors College; Teaching and Learning with Technology; the College of Communications; the School of Engineering Design, Technology and Professional Programs; the Office of Disability Services; the College of Health and Human Development; the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders; and Adaptive Technology Services in the University Libraries.

For more information or if you anticipate needing accessibility accommodations or have questions about the physical access provided, please contact Susan Hayya at shh2@psu.edu or 814 865-0284.