2009-10 Penn Science Café Schedule
The Penn Science Café, the lecture series that hauls science out of the lab and treats it to a night on the town. Free and open to the public, it's an opportunity to pitch questions to leading scientific experts.
6 p.m. @ the White Dog Café, menu items available for purchase
RSVP to Jordan Reese, jreese@upenn.edu or 215-573-6604. RSVP's are required.
Sept. 16 |
Mark Trodden, Department of Physics and Astronomy |
Oct. 14 |
Anthony Cashmore, Department of Biology It is widely believed that living systems, including mankind, obey the natural physical laws. However, it is also commonly accepted that man has the capacity to make "free" conscious decisions that do not simply reflect the chemical makeup of the individual. While philosophers have discussed for centuries the apparent lack of a causal component for free will, many biologists still seem to be remarkably at ease with this notion of free will—and indeed, our judicial system is based on such a belief. Join Anthony Cashmore, biologist and director of the Plant Science Institute, as he contends that a belief in free will is nothing other than a continuing belief in vitalism—something biologists proudly believe they discarded well over 100 years ago. |
Nov. 18 |
Lyle Ungar, Computer Science |
Dec. 16 |
Adrian Morrison, Veterinary Medicine |
Jan. 20, 2010 |
Ruth Schwartz Cowan, History and Sociology of Science |
Feb. 16 |
Max Mintz, Department of Computer Science |
March 17 |
Jonathan Moreno, History and Sociology of Science |
April 14 |
Josh Plotkin, Department of Biology |
May 12 |
Robert Kurzban, Department of Psychology |
More than 90 percent of Americans believe it is important the U.S. maintains its global leadership in science technology. Only 13 percent can define the word: molecule.—ABC News
Contact: Jordan Reese at 215-573-6604 or jreese@upenn.edu.
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