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When it comes to using our brains – for making the grade, or excelling in business – John Medina says we’ve got a lot to learn. The developmental biologist and author of Brain Rules’ 12 principles for striving and thriving at work, home and school, will share in a free public lecture at Lamar University Feb. 23.

His visit is hosted by LU’s College of Education and Human Development as part of the university’s Academic Lecture Series. The free lecture will be held at 7 p.m. in the Richard L. Price Auditorium in the Herman Iles Building of the John Gray Center. For more information on the lecture, call (409) 880-8661.

Medina is a developmental molecular biologist focused on the genes involved in human brain development and the genetics of psychiatric disorders. He has spent most of his professional life as a private research consultant, working primarily in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries on research related to mental health. Medina holds an affiliate faculty appointment at the University of Washington School of Medicine in its Department of Bioengineering.

Medina was the founding director of the Talaris Research Institute, a Seattle-based research center originally focused on how infants encode and process information at the cognitive, cellular and molecular levels.

In 2004, Medina was appointed to the rank of affiliate scholar at the National Academy of Engineering. He has been named Outstanding Faculty of the Year at the College of Engineering at the University of Washington; the Merrill Dow/Continuing Medical Education National Teacher of the Year; and, twice, the Bioengineering Student Association Teacher of the Year. Medina has been a consultant to the Education Commission of the States and a regular speaker on the relationship between neurology and education.

Medina’s books include: Brain Rules, Brain Rules for Baby, The Genetic Inferno, The Clock of Ages, Depression, What You Need to Know About Alzheimer’s, The Outer Limits of Life, Uncovering the Mystery of AIDS, and Of Serotonin, Dopamine and Antipsychotic Medications.

In his long-running New York Times bestseller Brain Rules, John Medina shares his lifelong interest in how the brain sciences might influence the way we teach our children and the way we work. In each chapter, he describes a brain rule—what scientists know for sure about how our brains work—and then offers transformative ideas for our daily lives.

Medina has a lifelong fascination with how the mind reacts to and organizes information. As the father of two boys, he has an interest in how the brain sciences might influence the way we teach our children. In addition to his research, consulting, and teaching, he speaks often to public officials, business and medical professionals, school boards and nonprofit leaders. He lives in Seattle with his wife and sons.

The Lamar University Academic Lecture Series, sponsored by the students, brings a significant element to the university experience by allowing Lamar’s academic community to offer two lectures each year featuring prominent speakers from disciplines represented by each of the university’s colleges. Previous speakers include astronaut Sally Ride, entrepreneur Jerry Greenfield, journalist Tony Snow, professional basketball player Bob Love, author Sarah Vowell, freedom writer Manuel Scott, author Erik Qualman, choreographer Judith Jamison, actor and environmentalist Ed Begley Jr., and synthetic-biology and metabolic engineer Jay Keasling.