Uploaded April 2023 | Updated September 2026, 20 hours ago
How are insights about the adolescent brain affecting young people—in terms of legal culpability and incarceration, age restrictions for controlled substances, and their rights to make decisions about their own medical care?
At this Secret Science Club event, pioneering researchers Francis Shen and Adriana Galván discuss groundbreaking discoveries about the adolescent brain—and how these scientific insights are affecting our legal system, public policy, and society.
Adriana Galván is a professor of psychology and dean of undergraduate education at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). An expert on the adolescent brain and the author of over 100 scientific papers, she has made seminal discoveries about brain development in children, teens, and adults. In 2019, she received the Troland Research Award from the National Academy of Sciences and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. Her research on the adolescent brain has played a central role in landmark Supreme Court decisions regarding the culpability and punishment of juvenile offenders.
Francis X. Shen is a professor at Harvard Medical School’s Center for Bioethics and an affiliated faculty member at Harvard Law School. He is a pioneer in establishing the interdisciplinary field of law and neuroscience, and conducts research on how insights from neuroscience and artificial intelligence can make the legal system more just and effective. In 2021, he was awarded the Early Career Scholars Medal from the American Law Institute. He is the director of Harvard’s Shen Lab: Law, Ethics, Neuroscience & Artificial Intelligence, where the motto is “every story is a brain story.”
This edition of Secret Science Club is part of the Dana Foundation Neuroscience & Society Talk Series and supported by the Dana Foundation as part of its Dana Education program. The Foundation’s mission is to advance neuroscience that benefits society and reflects the aspirations of all people.
The Secret Science Club is a science lecture, arts, and performance series, curated by Dorian Devins and Margaret Mittelbach. This event was held virtually on March 15, 2023 during Brain Awareness Week.
Learn more about the Dana Education Program: dana.org/dana-education
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How are insights about the adolescent brain affecting young people—in terms of legal culpability and incarceration, age restrictions for controlled substances, and their rights to make decisions about their own medical care?
At this Secret Science Club event, pioneering researchers Francis Shen and Adriana Galván discuss groundbreaking discoveries about the adolescent brain—and how these scientific insights are affecting our legal system, public policy, and society.
Adriana Galván is a professor of psychology and dean of undergraduate education at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). An expert on the adolescent brain and the author of over 100 scientific papers, she has made seminal discoveries about brain development in children, teens, and adults. In 2019, she received the Troland Research Award from the National Academy of Sciences and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. Her research on the adolescent brain has played a central role in landmark Supreme Court decisions regarding the culpability and punishment of juvenile offenders.
Francis X. Shen is a professor at Harvard Medical School’s Center for Bioethics and an affiliated faculty member at Harvard Law School. He is a pioneer in establishing the interdisciplinary field of law and neuroscience, and conducts research on how insights from neuroscience and artificial intelligence can make the legal system more just and effective. In 2021, he was awarded the Early Career Scholars Medal from the American Law Institute. He is the director of Harvard’s Shen Lab: Law, Ethics, Neuroscience & Artificial Intelligence, where the motto is “every story is a brain story.”
This edition of Secret Science Club is part of the Dana Foundation Neuroscience & Society Talk Series and supported by the Dana Foundation as part of its Dana Education program. The Foundation’s mission is to advance neuroscience that benefits society and reflects the aspirations of all people.
The Secret Science Club is a science lecture, arts, and performance series, curated by Dorian Devins and Margaret Mittelbach. This event was held virtually on March 15, 2023 during Brain Awareness Week.
Learn more about the Dana Education Program: dana.org/dana-education
Connect with us!
Website: dana.org
Facebook: facebook.com/danafoundation
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/danafoundation.bsky.social
Instagram: instagram.com/danafoundation
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/the-dana-foundation
