Over the weekend ECIC academic Dr Fiona Kerr appeared on Radio National’s science program Ockhams’ Razor.

The program allows experts to talk uninterrupted for one hour about their topic, which allows for more in-depth coverage of more complex issues.

Fiona’s segment is titled Neurogenesis: a Force for Creativity? and she speaks about neurogenesis being a continual process of growing and pruning our brains, that we can influence directly. This requires the creation of the right conditions; which when achieved can be used to better understand transformational leadership; the role of face to face interaction and the basis for why, when dealing with unknown factors and unfathomable timeframes, you need to win the heart to change the mind.

It is important to understand neurogenesis as it the process has many practical implications in our society and the modern workplace. It can help us answer important questions such as how are the brains of charismatic leaders different from the rest of us? How do you build creative bureaucracies? How to engage people in the big, important issues of our time? And can the performing arts keep the brain healthy as it ages?