Meeting in Honor of Luigi Galvani

BETWEEN PHYSICS AND BIOLOGY: THE LEGACY OF LUIGI GALVANI

8 - 9 OTTOBRE 1998

(Prodi Lecture Hall, University of Bologna, piazza San Giovanni in Monte 2, Bologna)

Organizing Committee:

Ferdinando Bersani, Physics Dept., University of Bologna, fax + 39 51 6305050; tel. + 39 51 630 5122; e-mail: bersani@gpxbof.unibo.it
Pier Luigi Parmeggiani, Physiology Dept., University of Bologna, fax + 39 51 251731; tel. + 39 51 244499; e-mail: plparm@biocfarm.unibo.it
Antonio Contestabile, Biology Dept., University of Bologna, fax + 39 51 251208; tel. + 39 51 354134; e-mail: acontest@alma.unibo.it
Paolo Capiluppi, Physics Dept., University of Bologna, fax + 39 51 6305269; tel + 39 51 6305243; e-mail: capiluppi@bo.infn.it

Purpose of the Meeting

The main purpose of the meeting is to offer the scientific and non-scientific community an overview of recent advances and future perspectives in emergent topics bridging Physics and Biomedicine, in the spirit of Galvani’s legacy.

Subjects of the scientific program:

Galvani in the history of relations between Physics and Biology
biomedical techniques and bioelectromagnetism
neurobiology and information processing in living organisms
neural network and bioelectronicsm
computer evolution, computer networks and man/computer interaction.

A book of proceedings will be published at the end of the meeting.

- October 8 -

8.30 Opening session

1. Galvani in the History of Relations between Physics and Biology. Part 1.

9.00/9.45 Franco Ruggeri (Bologna) The Scientific Eclecticism of Luigi Galvani.

9.45/10.30 Fabio Bevilacqua (Pavia) The Galvani - Volta Controversy.

10.30/10.45 Coffee break.

2. Biomedical Techniques and Bioelectromagnetism

10.45/11.30 Gianluca Romani (Chieti) Biomagnetism: a New Method for Functional Imaging of the Brain.

11.30/12.15 Giovanni Lucignani (Milano) Positron Emission Tomography(PET): from Molecules to Mind.

12.15/13.00 Marco Villa (Pavia) Perspectives of Magnetic Resonance Imaging(MRI).

3. Neurobiology and Information Processing in Living Organisms

14.30/15.15 Gerald Edelman (La Jolla, P. Nobel) Brain Dynamics: How Matter becomes imagination.

15.15/16.00 Bert Sakmann (Heidelberg, P. Nobel) Grey Matter.

16.00/16.45 Lamberto Maffei (Pisa) Neurotrophines and Plasticity of Visual Cortex.

16.45/17.00 Coffee break.

17.00/17.45 Leon Cooper (Providence, P. Nobel) Theory of Synaptic Plasticity.

17.45/18.30 Semir Zeki (London) From Electrical Impulses to Conscious Experience.

- October 9 -

4. Galvani’s Legacy in the History of Relations between Physics and Biology. Part 2.

9.00/9.45 John L. Heilbron (Oxford) Galvani, Volta and the Uses of Centennials.

9.45/10.30 Ferdinando Bersani (Bologna) The Contribution of Italian Physicists to Electrophysiology in the 19^th Century.

10.30/10.45 Coffee break.

5. Bioelectronics

10.45/11.30 Felix T. Hong (Detroit) Towards Biomolecular Electronics: Reverse Engineering Nature.

11.30/12.15 Vincenzo Balzani (Bologna) Artificial Molecular Machines.

12.15/13.00 Alessandro Chiabrera (Genova) Towards Molecular Information Processing.

14.30/15.15 Masuo Aizawa (Tokio) Bridging Electronics and Living Cells: Electronic Modulation of Intracellular Molecular Information Networks.

6. Computer Evolution , Computer Networks and Man/Computer Interaction

15.15/16.00 Robert Cailliau (Genève) The World Wide Web (WWW) and its Impact on the Society.

16.00/16.15 Coffee break.

16.15/17.00 Artur Ekert (Oxford) Quantum Computation- Theory and Experiments.

17.00/17.45 Eliano Pessa (Roma) Knowledge representation and artificial neural networks.

17.45/18.30 Antonio Messina (Bologna) Computers and Psychology.

18.30 Conclusions.

9.00/9.45	Franco Ruggeri (Bologna) The Scientific Eclecticism of Luigi Galvani.
9.45/10.30	Fabio Bevilacqua (Pavia) The Galvani - Volta Controversy.
10.30/10.45	Coffee break.

10.45/11.30	Gianluca Romani (Chieti) Biomagnetism: a New Method for Functional Imaging of the Brain.
11.30/12.15	Giovanni Lucignani (Milano) Positron Emission Tomography(PET): from Molecules to Mind.
12.15/13.00	Marco Villa (Pavia) Perspectives of Magnetic Resonance Imaging(MRI).

14.30/15.15	Gerald Edelman (La Jolla, P. Nobel) Brain Dynamics: How Matter becomes imagination.
15.15/16.00	Bert Sakmann (Heidelberg, P. Nobel) Grey Matter.
16.00/16.45	Lamberto Maffei (Pisa) Neurotrophines and Plasticity of Visual Cortex.
16.45/17.00	Coffee break.
17.00/17.45	Leon Cooper (Providence, P. Nobel) Theory of Synaptic Plasticity.
17.45/18.30	Semir Zeki (London) From Electrical Impulses to Conscious Experience.

9.00/9.45	John L. Heilbron (Oxford) Galvani, Volta and the Uses of Centennials.
9.45/10.30	Ferdinando Bersani (Bologna) The Contribution of Italian Physicists to Electrophysiology in the 19^th Century.
10.30/10.45	Coffee break.

10.45/11.30	Felix T. Hong (Detroit) Towards Biomolecular Electronics: Reverse Engineering Nature.
11.30/12.15	Vincenzo Balzani (Bologna) Artificial Molecular Machines.
12.15/13.00	Alessandro Chiabrera (Genova) Towards Molecular Information Processing.
14.30/15.15	Masuo Aizawa (Tokio) Bridging Electronics and Living Cells: Electronic Modulation of Intracellular Molecular Information Networks.

15.15/16.00	Robert Cailliau (Genève) The World Wide Web (WWW) and its Impact on the Society.
16.00/16.15	Coffee break.
16.15/17.00	Artur Ekert (Oxford) Quantum Computation- Theory and Experiments.
17.00/17.45	Eliano Pessa (Roma) Knowledge representation and artificial neural networks.
17.45/18.30	Antonio Messina (Bologna) Computers and Psychology.
18.30	*Conclusions.*