The EvoS seminar series brings distinguished speakers to campus to examine all aspects of humanity and the natural world from an evolutionary perspective. The seminars are open to the entire university community and the general public, in addition to participants of the EvoS program and co-hosting departments. Attending the seminars provides an education in evolutionary studies in its own right. The fact that the EvoS seminar series can include such a diversity of topics illustrates the ability of evolutionary theory to transcend disciplinary boundaries.
Each seminar is followed by a dinner and continuing discussion with the speaker, which is restricted to EvoS participants and their guests. The dinner/discussion is as lively and stimulating as the seminar itself. A 2-credit course titled “Current Topics in Evolutionary Studies”(Biol 480s/680s) is built around the seminar series and offered every semester. Students in the course read articles and write a commentary in addition to attending the seminar and dinner/discussion. This course is restricted to EvoS participants and is frequently rated as one of their best intellectual experiences at BU.
The spring '08 seminars will be held in Room 110 of the Engineering Building, which is most easily reached through the entrance of the building that faces the Old Union.
February 1, 4PM, EB 110
Anthony Biglan
Center on Early Adolescence, Oregon Research Institute
Co-hosted with the Psychology Department
“The Prevention of Psychological and Behavioral Problems Through an Intentional Science of Cultural Change”
More
information
February 8 , 4PM, EB 110
William Cresko
Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Oregon
Co-hosted by the Department of Biological Sciences
"The genetic basis of parallel evolution in threespine stickleback"
Dr. Cresko will also give a more specialized talk on "Genome duplication in teleosts and the origins of genetic modularity" Science III, rm 214 from 12-1.
More information
February 22 , 4PM, EB 110
(Noon talk on Thursday, Feb 21, Sci III rm 214)
Patricia Hawley
Department of Psychology, University of Kansas
“The Evolution of Morality, and Some (Surprising) Implications for Children’s Social Functioning”
Dr. Hawley will give a second talk on "Sexual Fantasies of Domination: Feminine Pathology or Power?" on Thursday in Science III rm 214 from 12-1.
More information
February 29, 4PM, EB 110
Andrew DeWoody
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University
Co-hosted with the Biological Sciences Department
"The history, mating system, and MHC biology of tiger salamanders from
Indiana"
More information
March 7 , 4PM, LH 08 (Note different location)
Joseph LeDoux
Center for Neural Science, New York University
Co-hosted with the Psychology Department
"Fearful Brains in an Anxious World"
More information
March 14 , 4PM, EB 110
James Noonan
Department of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine
Co-hosted with the Department of Biological Sciences
"Functional insights into human evolution from comparative genomics"
More information
April 4 , 4PM, EB 110
Barbara Finlay
Department of Psychology, Cornell University
Co-hosted with the Psychology Department
“Too good to be true: conserved developmental programs coordinating phenotypic plasticity”
April 11 , 4PM, EB 110
Gordon Gallup
Department of Psychology, University of Albany (SUNY)
“Competition for paternity: The impact of evolution on human genital morphology and behavior”
April 25 , 4PM, EB 110
Richard V. Pouyat, USDA Forest Service
Co-hosted with the Biology Department
“Urban Ecology: The Changing face of Ecology”
May 2, 4PM, EB 110
Elizabeth Adkins-Regan
Departments of Psychology and Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell
Co-hosted with the Department of Biological Sciences
“Hormones, mating, and pairing: A tale of two birds”
May 9, 4PM, EB 110
James MacKillop
Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University
Co-hosted with the Psychology Department
“Evolution, Behavioral Economics, and Addiction”
