January 10, 2012 | News

Living and Dying in Aging Societies

How is our brain aging? Which influence has the aging of society on labor and financial markets? And how was aging perceived in former cultures? The scholars of the MaxNetAging network are coming from very diverse fields of research and are approaching aging as a research topic from very various perspectives. About 70 participants will meet at the network's annual conference, to take place from January 17-20.  The conference, titled „Reflections on Living and Dying in Aging Societies“, will be held in Bad Kohlgrub, a Bavarian health resort. Oral presentations will be delivered and discussed, and the participants will share their research experiences and results.

MaxNetAging is a virtual institute for the advancement of research on the causes, patterns, processes, and consequences of aging. The network's interdisciplinary focus includes political science, law, sociology, anthropology, economics, history, art history, history of science, demography, mathematics, biology, medicine, cognitive and brain sciences, psychology, and human development. It was founded by Paul B. Baltes, formerly co-director of the Max Planck Institute of Human Development and Education. He passed away in 2006. Today, the network is led by MPIDR director James W. Vaupel.

The network's core is the MaxNetAging Research School, a scholar program for PhD and Postdoc students alike. Each student is affiliated with one of the participating Max Planck Institutes.The first six months are spent at the MPIDR. They then continue with their training program and research projects at the Max Planck Institute they are affiliated with, under the supervision of the respective director. Demand for the program is large: Last year, about 260 applications have been received by the MPDR, which is coordinating the program.