Science at NYU: A Public Lecture Series
FALL 2008 EVENTS
This fall, the School of Continuing and Professional Studies joins with The New York Academy of Sciences, and the Office of the Dean of Sciences at NYU in presenting NYU science faculty working on the frontiers of contemporary science. The New York Academy of Sciences is one of the world’s foremost conveners of science events aimed at deepening academic and public discussions of science. The Office of the Dean for Science supports scientific research at NYU through its constituent departments.
All events in this lecture series are $20 ($10 for NYU students, faculty, and staff, and for NYAS members).
The Neuroscience of Elections and Human Decision-Making:
Find Out What Really Rocks Your Vote
Wednesday, September 17
7–9 p.m.
Woolworth Building
Do your political decisions reflect conscious, reasoned choices—or are you liberal or conservative based on your neural circuitry? Three NYU faculty, whose new research suggests brain biology could be linked to political leanings, present their work: Dr. Elizabeth Phelps, Dr. David Amodio, and Dr. John Jost. They explore emotion’s impact on learning and memory, how liberals and conservatives may handle mental conflict differently, and if there is a psychological basis for political ideology.
Kluge: The Haphazard Construction of the Human Mind
Thursday, October 23
7–9 p.m.
The Salmagundi Club
47 Fifth Avenue (between 11-12th Sts)
Explore the evolution and development of the human mind with NYU psychology professor Gary Marcus. In his 2008 book he likens the mind to a Rube Goldberg construction, a patched-together product of human engineering. Marcus, a contributor to leading journals such as Science, Nature, and Psychological Science, uses an engineering term (‘kluge’) to describe the improvisational nature of our mental life.
Fearful Brains in an Anxious World:
An Evening with Joseph LeDoux (followed by a performance by Joseph LeDoux and Tyler Volk of the Amygdaloids)
Tuesday, November 11
7–9 p.m.
NYAS, 7 World Trade Center
A pioneer in his field, Joseph LeDoux, the Henry and Lucy Moses Professor of Science at NYU's Center for Neural Science and author of two highly praised books—The Emotional Brain and Synaptic Self—discusses how neural processes shape who we are and what we think, feel, and remember. The event also features a performance by members of LeDoux’s rock group The Amygdaloids, playing what Newsday has referred to as “heavy mental” music.