Brandeis Alumni, Family and Friends

New Book “Lessons from the Lobster” Chronicles the Work of Professor Eve Marder ’69

July 23, 2018

How much can you learn from the stomach of a lobster? Quite a lot, actually.

A new book about Dr. Eve Marder ’69, the Victor and Gwendolyn Beinfield Professor of Neuroscience at Brandeis, is garnering high praise. “A nuanced portrait of an inspired scientist at work” is how the scientific journal Nature describes “Lessons from the Lobster: Eve Marder’s Work in Neuroscience” by Charlotte Nassim.

As publisher MIT Press explains, Marder “has spent 40 years studying 30 neurons on the stomach of a lobster. Her focus on this tiny network of cells has yielded valuable insights into the much more complex workings of the human brain; she has become a leading voice in neuroscience.”

Cori Bargmann, head of science for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, says: “Eve Marder is a heroine of neuroscience―her work has been decades ahead of the rest of the field. In the simple circuits of the lobster, she uncovered the flexibility that allows every brain to rewire itself in real time, and the self-regulatory properties at the heart of the brain's stability. This book shows a new generation the beauty and originality of Marder’s work. Better still, it celebrates Eve’s tenacious, challenging, and generous character, which made it all possible.”

Nassim wrote “Lessons from the Lobster” in a way that is accessible for a broad audience. In particular, the book is designed to show girls and young women that a career in science is possible, using Marder’s achievements as a leader in her field as inspiration.

To learn more about this book and where it may be purchased, visit the publisher’s webpage here.