With the advent of implantable brain chips, neural tissue transplants, brain-computer interactions and psychopharmaceutical advances, humans soon will be able to micromanage their moods and enhance their cognitive skills. These technologies are challenging concepts of privacy, responsibility and free will. In his talk, Wolpe will explore the personal, legal and social ramifications of emerging neurotechnologies.

Wolpe researches the role of ideology and culture in medical thought, encompassing fields such as genetics, reproduction, biotechnology, and mental health and illness. He serves as NASA’s first chief of bioethics and is co-editor of The American Journal of Bioethics. In addition, Wolpe is a biotechnology columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer and has appeared on MSNBC, CBS, ABC and NBC, and in The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, the Los Angeles Times and U.S. News & World Report.

The Howard A. Schneiderman Memorial Bioethics Lecture Series began in 1990 with an endowment from Schneiderman, the third dean of UCI’s School of Biological Sciences. The series brings renowned experts to the campus to speak about the social and ethical implications of advances in biology and medicine.

02/28/2012

Arnold & Mabel Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences & Engineering (bldg. 80, grid C4 on campus map)

07:00 p.m.