Thursday Forum to include valuable brain health activities
Assistant Professor of Psychology Dr. Renee Penalver
Are you looking for ways to maintain your brain health? Curious about activities to prevent cognitive decline? The 30th annual Coe College Thursday Forum series kicks off September 6 with an in-depth look at maintaining cognitive brain health through the ages. Coe College invites all who are looking to expand their knowledge to attend this Thursday Forum series.
Join Assistant Professor of Psychology Renee Penalver as she introduces you to the study of brain health and cognitive aging. Dr. Penalver will guide you through topics including memory, attention, language, bilingualism, perception, reasoning and decision making. Individual topics will be explored through research theories and real-world examples. “I am excited to teach the community about a topic that will affect everyone — aging. Knowledge in this area is important for improving one’s health and the health of the community."
Each week participants will learn about the fluid field of cognitive psychology and why it's important for everyone to have a general understanding of it. Participants will learn how cognition changes across the life span and what current research tells us about best practices for maintaining and promoting cognitive health as we age.
The first session will offer an introduction to the field of cognitive psychology and to aging statistics and processes. The second session will examine what is normal and what is not as we age — including cognitive decline, memory loss, anxiety and depression among aging adults. Sessions three and four will discuss what researchers know about maintaining brain health and offer resources and best practices for maintaining cognition.
Thursday Forum lectures are held in Kesler Lecture Hall in Hickok Hall on the Coe campus. Each session begins with coffee and pastries from 8:45-9:15 a.m., followed by the class until 11:30 a.m. Each series concludes with a $10 optional luncheon on the final Thursday. Admission is $35 for a four-week course or $12 per week. Visit www.coe.edu/thursday-forum to register.
For the remainder of the 2018-2019 academic year, the Thursday Forum schedule includes:
- Maintaining Cognitive Brain Health Through the Ages — Sept. 6, 13, 20, 27
- Tragedy and Heroism: Three Historical Novels of Leon Uris — Oct. 4, 11, 18, 25
- From Icon to Virtual Space: Shifting Understandings of Pictorial Beauty From the Ancients to the Renaissance — Nov. 1, 8, 15, 29
- Reviving the Plays of Early 20th Century Black Women Playwrights — Dec. 6
- A New European State? Catalonia Past and Present — Jan. 17, 24
- Women in the Hebrew Bible — Feb. 7, 14, 21, 28
- Urbanism to Save Us All. How Cities are Reshaping our Social and Physical Lives — March 7, 14, 21, 28
- The Count, The Duke, The King and Glenn: Music of the Big Band and Swing Era — April 4, 11, 18, 25
Coe values its location and relationship with the Cedar Rapids community and looks forward to providing insightful forum topics. Established in 1851, Coe has a national reputation for academic excellence enhanced by a student-centered, highly supportive campus environment. Our success in offering superb academics and exciting co-curricular activities stems in large part from our location in a thriving urban setting that promotes student growth and success. As such, we welcome the community to participate in this event.