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During festivals, you get to enjoy your favorite music, but attending a scientific talk is also a growing hype. So which Donders scientists are in the spotlight this summer? Read, to find out.
Zwarte Cross ‘Black Cross’
Do you freeze, flee or fight?
You walk calmly across the street, and all of a sudden there’s someone holding a gun in front of you. What do you do? Do you freeze, flee or fight? Our own blogger, researches how people react in such threatening situations. What’s happening in our brain and which hormones play a role in acute stress situations? This year, Mahur will share her research at Zwarte Cross on Friday, July 14th. You can find her in De Tipi in the Theaterweide, and you’ll have two chances to hear her.
When? 13th to the 16th of July
Where? Lichtenvoorde
Vierdaagsefeesten ‘Four Days Festival’
The Memory Training School
Do you want to give your memory a boost? This year during the Vierdaagsefeesten, you can visit the Memory Training School at Festival Op ‘t Eiland. This is where Marlieke van Kesteren, and memory champion, Boris Konrad, will teach you the best ways for remembering things. On Tuesday the 18th of July at 6:30pm, take this rare opportunity to begin your career as a memory athlete! And for the little ones, that same day at 4:00pm there will be a special kid-friendly version on how to boost their memory.
The Radboud Brain Box
Do you want to challenge and test your brain, then during the Vierdaagsefeesten you’ll need to come by and visit the Kelfkensbos. Under the supervision of Luk Selen, visitors will have the opportunity to take part in a series of mini experiments at the Brain Box (15-20th of July, from 1:00pm to 7:00pm). The researchers from the Donders Sensorimotor lab will test things like your reaction time, the reliability of your equilibrium, how well you adjust your movements to changing conditions, and much more! Can you win the highest score of the day? Read more here.
When? 15th to the 21st of July
Where? Nijmegen
Lowlands
Learn to type without your hands
Typing without using your hands sounds like science-fiction, but it’s possible with the help of the brain-computer-interface (BCI). BCI a technique that allows you to use your brain activity to control a computer. At Lowlands you’ll be able to try this technique by trying to type words with your… brain! And because Lowlands will be a rather challenging location to carry out this technique, Ceci Verbaarschot will be supervising so that she can study how distractions such as heat, exhaustion and busyness might disturb the technique. The goal is to optimize the technique. The optimization of BCI could offer people with communication disorders many possible future prospects, for instance people with ALS. Read more here.
Imagine all the people…
Do you suffer from stage fright? Then challenge yourself with this unique opportunity to perform at Lowlands! Stress researchers, Linda de Voogd, Floris Klumpers and Daphne Everaerd will measure how fast your heart rate goes after getting on stage. Do your stress hormones skyrocket and does your mind go completely blank? Or are you as cool as a cucumber that performs best under pressure? During this study research will be done on how people differ in terms of their stress responses and how this can lead to better or worse performance under pressure.
When? 18th to the 20th August
Where? Biddinghuizen
This blog is written by Ralf Weijs
Edited by Harriette Koop.
Translated by Marpessa.