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Simon Fischer-Baum

@cogsimon.bsky.social
940 followers 551 following 72 posts

Word nerd @ Rice in Texas formerly at the National Science Foundation. Cogsci of written language, aphasia, disability. Want to make cognitive science and neuroscience more policy relevant. Director of “Brain and Society” at the Rice Brain Institute.

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Simon Fischer-Baum @cogsimon.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
This science matters, and it needs support. I came away from last week energized by the momentum building around the brain economy, and by how quickly this conversation is expanding across science, policy, industry, and philanthropy.
Simon Fischer-Baum, Rym Ayadi and Bill Heisel at the Global Brain Economy Summit
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Simon Fischer-Baum @cogsimon.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
One last shot at the close of the first day of DeLange, taken before the remarkable performance of Free Rein. It was a day that made me feel both hopeful and grateful to be part of a community thinking seriously - and imaginatively - about the future of the brain. #DeLangeXIV #DeLangeAtRice2026
Poster describing the free rein performance 

Musicians, dancers and scientists join forces to explore the neurological differences between scripted and improvised performance. Featuring Musiga, NobleMotion Dance, the University of Houston's Nordin lab, and the University of Georgia's Creativity and Imagination Lab with live visualizations of the data.

Friday, March 13, 2026 7:30 p.m.
Lois Chiles Studio Theater
Moody Center for the Arts, Rice University
Free with limited seating

Register here: delange.rice.edu
Music: Anthony Brandt
Choreography: Andy and Dionne Noble
Visual design: Badie Khaleghian
Neuroimaging under the direction of:
Anna Abraham and Andrew Nordin
Dancers: Deontay Gray, Reese Meredith, Tyler Orcutt, Jacob Regan and Lauren
Serrano
Musicians: Garrett Hudson, flute; Maiko Sasaki, clarinet; Nanki Chugh, violin; and Chelsea deSouza, piano
Bioengineers: Zoya Ahmed, Carter Hartman, Manaal Mustansir and
Onyekachi JamesPhoto of Simon sitting in a conference seat smiling at the camera with the brains and society conference art behind him
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Simon Fischer-Baum @cogsimon.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
The second provocation talk of the day - Cristine Legare telling us that brains are shaped by and are for culture. It’s not just a nuisance source of variability but a core aspect of what it means to be human. #DeLangeXIV #DeLangeatRice2026
Cristine Legare standing at a podium with a slide behind her defining culture as “Culture: group-typical behaviors shared by members of a community that rely on socially learned and transmitted information”
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Simon Fischer-Baum @cogsimon.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
On to the NeuroTech session - neurosurgeon @sameershethmd.bsky.social highlights progress in new implantable devices that provide neural stimulation for depression and OCD - while philosopher Tim Schroeder asks what do we do when people think these devices are doing to thinking and feeling for them.
Philosopher standing at podium expressing a thought
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Simon Fischer-Baum @cogsimon.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Alice Luo Clayton CEO of the McKnight Brain Research Foundation lays out a future for healthy brain aging - adaptation is key! At Rice - Margaret Beier studies adult skills and knowledge in her lab, not just what declines with age but what gets enhanced! #DeLangeXIV #FutureofAging
Power point slide that reads:

The Goal: Not just prevention and treatment -- Adaptation
Harnessing the changing brain, not simply protecting against its decline
01
PREVENT
Identify and address modifiable risk factors - sleep, cardiovascular health, social engagement, diet - across the lifespan, before any symptoms appear
02
UNDERSTAND
Map the full cognitive landscape of aging: not just what declines, but what persists, reorganizes, and grows. Variance is the Signal, not the noise
03
ADAPT
Engage neuroadaptation - the brain's capacity to reorganize.
Some cognitive shifts in aging are not deficits to fix, but reorganizations to understand and leverage for health
We should aim not just to halt decline, but to promote full engagement in life across the full arc of aging.
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Simon Fischer-Baum @cogsimon.bsky.social · 10/03/2025
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