Join us for a talk with Associate Professor Elizabeth Chrastil
April 15 @ 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
The Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences at UC Irvine invites you to attend the Spring 2026 Dean’s Distinguished Lecture, featuring Associate Professor Elizabeth Chrastil on April 15, 2026, in the Crystal Cove Auditorium at the UC Irvine Student Center.
Navigation is a central part of daily life. For some, getting around is easy, while others struggle. Some clinical populations, such as those with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), display wandering behaviors and extensive disorientation. Working at the interface between immersive virtual reality and neuroimaging techniques, my research uses these complementary approaches to inform questions about how we acquire and use spatial knowledge. In this talk, I will discuss some of my recent work and current experiments that centers on how individuals differ in their spatial abilities, which includes their exploration behavior and aspects of brain structure and function, as well as sex and age. More broadly, I will discuss how navigation lends insight into processes of human learning and memory. Further, I will demonstrate how these techniques can be used to understand age-related changes in brain circuits and to identify those at greatest risk for AD.
Event Details:
Talk and Q&A: 4 to 5 p.m.
Reception: 5 to 6 p.m.
About the Speaker:
Register to Attend the Dean’s Distinguished Lecture
This event is free and open to the public. All are welcome to attend. If you have questions about this event, please email biosci-events@uci.edu.