"Engaging Your Students' Brains"

Studies with bilingual subjects demonstrate that learning and using two languages reflects a dynamic exchange between these languages and our general cognitive apparatus. Despite the prevalence of bilingual speakers around the world, there are still many myths associated with the consequences of this linguistic and social phenomenon. Such myths lead to widespread misunderstanding about, for example, what it means to switch between languages, speak with an accent and be a proficient speaker.

At the height of research into bilingualism in recent decades, there is now a wealth of scientific evidence showing that mixing languages is beneficial to individuals' linguistic and cognitive development, and that variation in bilingual experience must be taken into account in the classroom.

In this talk, I review current studies on bilingual speakers, which provide strong support for the idea that bilingualism is cognitively beneficial throughout life.

"Restoring the Empty Forest: Reintroducing Species for Ecosystem Recovery in the Atlantic Forest"

When you enter a tropical forest and see piles of rotting fruits on the ground, it is a sign that something is very wrong. The fruit is the reward the plant gives to animals to disperse its seeds. If the fruit is not being consumed, the animals are missing, this fores tis empty. Empty forests suffer from defaunation and the loss of ecosystem functions that are essential for their maintenance.

The Atlantic Forest is one of the most biodiverse biomes in the world, with species that occur nowhere else on the planet. It is also one of the most threatened. The Tijuca National Park is a 4000-hectare island of Atlantic Forest, surrounded by the second-largest city in the country, Rio de Janeiro, and it is an empty forest.

Since 2010, Refauna reintroduces species that were extinct to restore lost trophic interactions in Atlantic Forest remnants, as Tijuca. We succeeded with the reintroduction of the agouti. Then came other species with roles complementary to the agoutis: the brown-howler monkey and the yellow-footed tortoise. Next year we will reintroduce the blue-and-yellow macaw.

Our experience with the different reintroductions has allowed us to assist in the planning of other reintroductions across the country. Refaunation is possible and necessary. We need to restore our forests not only by planting trees but by bringing back the animals.