THE NEWS GROUP

Quantum Mind II

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Unlocking the Brain’s Mysteries

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A High-Tech Conference in Burnaby, June 24 & 25, 1988

 

Beamed in Live Via Satellite:

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Dr. Paul MacLean. Paul MacLean has been engaged in full-time research on the brain since 1947. The 75-year-old scientist is a senior researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health. His Triune Brain Theory continues to have major significance on the way we look at our minds and intelligence. Paul divides the brain into three distinct sub-brains, each with its own kind of intelligence, memory, sense of time and space, motor skills and specialized functions. These three sub-brains are remarkable but not always compatible. Our secret weapon is the human neocortex which sets us apart from other animal species on this planet. The neocortex contains 70 per cent of our entire nervous system. In the process of human development, aging becomes an upward spiral towards wisdom.

 

Dr. Marian Diamond. Her love affair with the brain began as a child when she happened to see a brain lying on an operating table in her father’s hospital. Despite the fatherly advice to do the “ladylike thing” and become a housewife,

Marian Diamond followed her instincts. She pursued a career in science, and still raised four children. Marian went on to become the first female Associate Dean of Letters and Sciences at the University of California at Berkeley. She has published more than 100 papers in the field of neuroanatomy and has received more than a dozen awards for scholarship, teaching and community service. While she received fame for her studies on the brain of genius Albert Einstein, Marian’s most significant research discovery was on the lifelong plasticity of the cortex. In an enriched environment, the cortex will thicken after just a few days no matter what the age of the person. The vibrant 59-year- old concludes: “Use it or lose it!”

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Dr. Geraldine Schwartz was introduced by Judy Caldwell. “Gerri Schwartz is on her eighth career. After spending time as an artist and teacher, she went on to become a clinical psychologist working with learning disabled and gifted children at the Vancouver Learning Centre. She founded the International Foundation of Learning in 1983. Gerri received her PhD in psychology and education from McGill University in Montreal. She has conducted significant research on the teaching of reading, and published Advances in Research and Services to Children with Special Needs. She serves on the board of directors of the International Council of Psychologists in 77 countries. She has served since 1978 as chairman of the Children and Youth division. She is the founder and first chairman of the Canadian Psychological Association’s section on International and Cross-Cultural Psychology. Gerri’s work and research in the field of intelligence have taken her around the world many times. Gerri believes creative thinking can be taught and intelligence improved. She has dedicated herself to empowering people with this new knowledge. Thousands have already benefited from Gerri’s synthesis of scientific data with poetic literature to create better brains.”

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Wally Donaldson, Chairman of the IFL, spoke about its mission and linked the current event to Quantum Mind I.

“The International Foundation of Learning is committed to encouraging the development of creative thinking skills. This pursuit of excellence towards the goals and aspirations of achieving our full potential as human beings continues throughout our lifetime. The IFL seeks to improve people’s ability to learn by fostering world-class research and service in the field of intelligence. The Foundation believes it’s never too late for anyone to begin this exciting journey of discovery.

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In 1986, the Foundation attracted more than a dozen of the world’s best scientists, researchers and thinkers in the field of intelligence to Vancouver for a special conference with leading British Columbians. Quantum Mind I, held for a week at the University of British Columbia, was a smashing success.

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The 200 participants got an exciting overview of the leading-edge discoveries unfolding around the world on the mysterious workings of the mind. Many projects were spawned and implemented as a result of this conference. Two years later, Quantum Mind II was initiated as a natural outgrowth of this process. Instead of bringing speakers to Vancouver in person, a high-tech approach was undertaken. Both Dr. Marian Diamond and Dr. Paul MacLean will ‘beam in’ live via satellite from George Brown University in Fairfax, Virginia. The IFL is grateful to both B.C. Tel and the Burnaby School District for their technical and financial assistance in hosting this unique conference. Every participant this weekend is getting a clear futuristic look at the way humanity will be communicating in the 21st century. You are standing on the brink of new developments that will ultimately change the course of history.

 

It’s a great step forward for a charitable organization formed in 1983 to serve as a community resource for anyone interested in the entire spectrum of learning. The IFL initially began by conducting workshops and seminars for parents and professionals who wanted to help children with learning problems. Our enhanced approach now recognizes the whole process of lifespan learning and its importance to people of all ages, whether just new born or in their mature years.”