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 James

Photo of Simon sitting in a conference seat smiling at the camera with the brains and society conference art behind him

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

Provocation Talk #2: “Neuroscience Needs to Think About Culture”. Thoughtful challenging questions from Dr. Legare.

#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”

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

Topic #2 today was Next Generation Neuroscience Inspired Cues. #DeLangeXIV #DeLangeAtRice2026

SUPERRADIANCE: Interdisciplinary research lab investigating intelligence, consciousness, and planetary systems through research-based art that bridges embodied experience with emerging technologies. Interdisciplinary artists Memo Akten & Katie Hofstadter investigate intelligence, consciousness, and planetary systems through research-based art bridging embodied experience with emerging technologie...

@memoakten.bsky.social @katiehofstadter.bsky.social remind us that art is a form epistemology - for the vision nerds they align science with the fovea and art with peripheral vision - interspersed with art of pieces that demonstrate why neuroscience needs the arts. #DeLangeXIV
superradiance.net

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.

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

Scientia/De Lange Conference | Rice University Conference focused on the exploration of the dynamic interactions between technology, society, and culture. More specifically, the conference will address the challenges of information technology, hea...

Fascinating - but terrifying - talk from @lhnicholas.bsky.social about how long before a diagnosis we can see dementia coming in how people spend their money and pay their bills. #DeLangeXIV #BrainandSociety #RiceUniversity

Scientia/De Lange Conference | Rice University Conference focused on the exploration of the dynamic interactions between technology, society, and culture. More specifically, the conference will address the challenges of information technology, hea...

President DesRoches and Provost Dittmar have launched #DeLangeXIV - and the conversation about Brains in Society has begun. We are live streaming a session on aging and dementia at DeLange.rice.edu. #FutureOfBrainScience #BrainandSociety #RiceUniversity