Alsace Mémoire

This conference brings together revolutionary developments in two disciplines: cognitive modifiability and the neurosciences. Neuroscience brings evidence that modifiability is possible, while cognitive modifiability shows how to make it happen. This meeting offers the opportunity for a worldwide gathering of scientists, practitioners, therapists, and educators who come from different professional perspectives, but share common interests to explore and become familiar with the developments in these related fields. The common theme is modifiability. Revolutionary developments in brain sciences support the theory and belief that basic human behaviors and functions can be modified.

The Potential to Respond to Critical Needs

From the perspective of both disciplines, it is now clear that systematic application of dynamic methods of assessment and intervention has the potential to produce cognitive and structural change. The advances of cognitive psychology and neuroscience, and the growing awareness they have generated, indicates that the three conventionally accepted resistances to change can be overcome: etiology, critical periods, and severity of the condition

However, we are at the frontier of this knowledge. There is much to be learned in order to understand the implications of the convergence of cognitive modifiability and the revolution in the brain sciences and bring them into wide acceptance and practice. The conference aims at providing researchers, psychologists, occupational and speech therapists, as well as special and regular education specialists with new conceptual tools for dealing with the question of modifiability in the laboratory, clinic, and the classroom.

Outcomes and Opportunities

The multicultural interaction between presenters and participants from different fields and professions is going to develop better understanding of the challenges and enrich us with the new available methods and ideas. Personal professional experience, research results, theories and practice will be discussed and new techniques will be presented in order to open new horizons for each one of the conference participants.

This is a critical period in the development of this dialogue and an opportunity for sharing knowledge and hope. Jerusalem, as a modern centre for technological and academic activity and research also symbolizes the historical core of human faith and soul. Is there a more appropriate place to host such a conference?

The International Scientific Committee
Prof. Moshe Bar Professor and Director, Gonda Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University Ramat Gan, Israel
Dr. Michaela Bercovitch Director of Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Hospice. Chairperson of the Israel Palliative Medical Society.
Prof. Hagai Bergman professor at the department of medical neurobiology (physiology) in Hadassah medical school, Hebrew university, Jerusalem, Israel.
Prof. Robert Burden Professor Emeritus of Applied Educational Psychology , Director, Cognitive Education CentreUniversity of Exeter, England
Prof. Hyewon Park Choi Prof at the Dept. of Child & Family Welfare, Univ. of Ulsan, Korea
Prof. Louis H. Falik Professor Emeritus of Counseling, School of Education, San Francisco State University. Training and Development Associate, International Center for the Enhancement of Learning Potential, Jerusalem, Israel.
Prof. Alon Friedman Chair, Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience Department of physiology and Neurobiology Faculty of Health Sciences Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva,Israel..
Prof. Katherine H. Greenberg Professor and Coordinator /Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling/ The University of Tennessee
Prof. Charles Hadji Professeur émérite de l'Université Pierre Mendès-France Grenoble 2 ,Laboratoire des Sciences de l'Education.
Prof. Carl Haywood Professor of Psychology, emeritus;Vanderbilt University: Kennedy Center Member; Member, Vanderbilt Brain Institute
Dr. Dorothy Howie Joint founding director of the Australasian Institute for Learning Enhancement, Auckland, New Zealand.
Prof. Shlomo Kaniel Professor, School of Education, Bar-Ilan University, Israel
Dr. Yakir Kaufman Behavioral Neurologist Head, Department of europsychogeriatrics Sarah Herzog Memorial Hospital, erusalem, Israel
Prof. Jozef Lebeer Associate professor in Disability Studies University of Antwerp, Medical Faculty, Centre for Primary & Interdisciplinary Care, associate professor in Disability Studies
Prof. Gerry Leisman Director, The National Institute for Brain and Rehabilitation Sciences, Nazareth, Israel
Psy.D Carol S. Lidz Trainer in dynamic assessment, consultant for doctoral theses on the topic of dynamic assessment, psychoeducational consultation and training.
Prof. Andrei Marga Professor of Contemporary Philosophy and Logic -and Rector of "Babeş-Bolyai" University (BBU), Cluj, Romania
Prof. Umberto Margiotta Professor of "General Pedagogy" at University of Venice "ca' Foscari", Italy.
Prof. Joav Merrick Medical Director, Health Services, Division of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services and Director, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Jerusalem, Israel
Dr. Barbara Z. Presseisen Educational Advisor to Nobel Learning Communities, West Chester, PA, Founder and past President of the Jean Piaget Society.
Prof. Daniel J. Siegel Clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine, faculty of the Center for Culture, Brain, and Development and Co-Director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center
Prof. Mervyn Skuy Professor of Education, Touro College, New York, Professor Emeritus of Educational Psychology & Specialised Education, University of the Witwatersrand
Prof. Hermona Soreq Profesor at the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.
Prof. David Tzuriel Professor (Full), School of Education, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel.
Chair - The Kounin-Lonenfeld Chair for Child Special Education.

Conference Topics
Gene expression, brain and behavior
Neural Plasticity Mechanisms
· The role of mirror neurons
· Functional connectivity
Clinical applications of the modifiability model
· Traumatic brain injury
· Mental health (depression, anorexia, schizophrenia)
· Developmental disorders of childhood and adolsecents
Neural plasticity and language development
Cognitive modifiability and educational intervention programs
Cognitive modifiability in occupational therapy
Cognitive modifiability and speech therapy
The Materialistic versus Spiritual Perspectives on Cognitive Modifiability and Neural Plasticity