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CALENDAR ITEM: Human Behavior and Evolution Society Conference to Take Place at MU

May 30th, 2015

Story Contact: Jeff Sossamon, 573-882-3346, sossamonj@missouri.edu

WHAT: The University of Missouri will host the 27th annual Human Behavior and Evolution Society (HBES) Conference with more than 350 interdisciplinary researchers and scholars who are experts in a range of disciplines in the social, behavioral and biological sciences on campus to explore human evolution and its many facets.

“HBES is a society for those studying the evolution of human behavior,” said Mary Shenk, co-chair of the conference and an associate professor of anthropology in the College of Arts and Science at MU.

“Scientific perspectives include evolutionary psychology, anthropology, and the roles that genetics and the environment play in human evolution. Mizzou is proud to sponsor this international event, and we look forward to welcoming all attendees,” said Karthik Panchanathan, co-chair of the conference and professor of anthropology at MU.

The plenary and keynote lectures are free and open to the public. Plenary and keynote lecturers include:

  • Raymond Hames, a professor of anthropology at the University of Nebraska, will deliver a plenary lecture, “An Assessment of Inclusive Fitness Theory in Humans,” 2:30 – 4 p.m., Wednesday, May 27, Missouri Theatre.
  • Alison Gopnik, a professor of psychology and affiliate professor of philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley, will deliver a plenary lecture, “Childhood is Evolution’s Way of Performing Simulated Annealing: Life History, Variability and Learning,” 8:30 – 9:30 a.m., Wednesday, May 27, Missouri Theatre.
  • Chris Kuzawa, a professor of anthropology at Northwestern University, will deliver a plenary lecture, “Brain Energetics and the Evolution of Human Childhood” 2 – 3 p.m., Thursday, May 28, Missouri Theatre.
  • Gregory Clark, a professor of economics at the University of California, Davis, will deliver a plenary lecture, “The Intergenerational Transmission of Social Status: Nature vs. Nurture,” 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., Friday, May 29, Missouri Theatre.
  • Daniel Nettle, a professor of behavioral science at Newcastle University, United Kingdom, will deliver a plenary lecture, “The Consequences of Early-Life Adversity: Comparative Evidence from Humans and Birds,” 2 – 3 p.m., Saturday, May 30, Missouri Theatre.
  • Bernard Chapais, a professor of anthropology at the University of Montreal, Canada, will deliver the keynote address, “Phylogeny and the Evolutionary Analysis of Human Behavior,” 8 – 9:30 p.m., Saturday, May 30, Missouri Theatre.

The event is co-sponsored by the Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center and the College of Arts and Science at MU.

WHERE: MU Campus

WHEN: Wednesday, May 27 – Saturday, May 30

NOTE: For event information, please visit: http://www.hbes2015.com/.

The plenary and keynote lectures are free and open to the public. Those wishing to attend other sessions of the conference should register in the lobby of the Missouri Theatre from noon to 5 p.m., Wednesday, May 27, or 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Thursday, May 28. Registration costs $325.

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