Published: April 02, 2015
April 15 Honors Symposium Explores Religion’s Roots, Believer’s Brain
Voltaire famously said, “If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him.” At an Honors Symposium on Wednesday, April 15, University of Tampa Associate Professor of Psychology Scott Husband will pose the question, “Why did humans invent God(s)?” and discuss how neuroscientists are exploring the roots of religion.
The presentation, “The Roots of Religion and the Believer’s Brain,” will begin at 4 p.m. in the Macdonald-Kelce Library AV Room 2, and is free and open to the public.
According to Husband, religion appears to be a cross-cultural human universal, profoundly influencing the lives of billions of people in what they eat, whom they have sex with, how they raise their children and how they structure their societies.
Husband will discuss evolutionary approaches in identifying the roots of religion, as well as how neuroscience is exploring brain systems that underlie the cognitive, affective and social functions of religion.
Husband’s primary field of study is behavioral neuroscience with an emphasis on comparative neuroanatomy and cognition. His research goals are to contribute to the understanding of how neural circuits and neurochemistry contribute to complex perception and cognition, and to investigate brain evolution by studying the brain and the behavior of non-mammalian species.
For more information, contact the Honors Program at honors@ut.edu or (813) 257-3545.
On Friday, April 17, a panel of four industry professionals will present the obstacles and challenges faced in today’s business environment related to whistleblowing.
The panel will be held at The University of Tampa Sykes College of Business, Room 234, from 10:30 a.m. to noon. This “Hot Seat Event” is sponsored by UT’s Center for Ethics. The public is invited, and there is no charge for the event.University of Tampa film students will screen their work at the first annual Moon Dance Film Festival at UT’s Reeves Theater on Tuesday, April 14, at 8:30 p.m.
Aaron Walker, assistant professor of communication, said the festival is an opportunity for UT students both to screen their work and to curate the best work of their peers.“It’s fully student-run, so it shows how deeply the students care about celebrating the strong work of their peers, but also shows how much desire there is for our FMA students to create venues of success for one another,” Walker said. “It’s a terrific collaboration, and will be a terrific party for film. Plus, the movies are great.”
The Sustainable Business Coalition of Tampa Bay Inc. and The University of Tampa Center for Ethics is calling for nominations for their annual Sustainable Business Awards, which will be held on Wednesday, June 10, at The University of Tampa’s Vaughn Center.
Now in its seventh year, the Sustainable Business Awards, sponsored by the Sustany Foundation, recognize and honor for-profit businesses in the Tampa Bay area that engage in practices that increase economic opportunities and improve the environment and community.