© Pint of Science, 2025. All rights reserved.
What do cognitive mistakes and scientific gatekeeping have in common? They both show what happens when systems get overwhelmed. This evening explores how our brains fumble under pressure—and how science itself can evolve to be more open, efficient, and collaborative. Expect brain blips, dragons, and fresh ideas.
Why Your Brain Can't Multitask: The Science Behind Mistake Patterns During Task Switching
Cheng Xue
(Postdoctoral scientist at The University of Chicago)
Why can't we multitask without messing up? It turns out our brains aren't just distracted; they can't help mixing up information under uncertain environments! By building a "virtual brain" by training artificial networks to behave like real participants, and supported by human behavior and animal electrophysiology, we found that uncertainty makes our brains blend unrelated details, causing specific patterns of errors. Understanding this tangled mess could help boost productivity, and help rescue our cognitive flexibility from neurodegenerative diseases.

Open Science: Because Hoarding Is for Dragons
Kevin Muñoz Forti
(Postdoctoral fellow at The University of Chicago)
Science isn’t treasure to hoard—it’s knowledge to share. This talk explores the movement for open science: why it matters, how it works, and what we all gain when research is made more transparent, collaborative, and accessible. From busted paywalls to better practices, it’s time to leave dragon instincts behind.

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Other Woodlawn Tap (Jimmy's) events
2025-05-20
Tiny Dancers, Ocean Romancers
Woodlawn Tap (Jimmy's)
1172 E 55th St, Chicago (IL), IL 60615, United States
2025-05-19
Echoes Through Time: From Galaxies to Genes
Woodlawn Tap (Jimmy's)
1172 E 55th St, Chicago (IL), IL 60615, United States