Is Human Activity Changing Animal Brains?

Published by Minnesota Atheists on

Graphic with photo of speaker and title of presentation.

Announcing the February Public Meeting of Minnesota Atheists

Is Human Activity Changing Animal Brains? By Dr. Emilie Snell-Rood. How have the brains of some animals adapted to the changes that humans have made to the environment, from the complexity of urban cities to deforestation and farming in rural areas? In honor Charles Darwin’s birth month, we are pleased to have Dr. Emilie Snell-Rood speak on behavioral responses of animals to rapid environmental change. Why can some species adjust their behavior to deal with anthropogenic environments, while others can not? How might humans shape the brain development and evolution in wild animals?


Emilie Snell-Rood received her bachelors of science at William and Mary in Biology in 2002 and her PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona in 2007. Following a postdoctoral fellowship at Indiana University, Emilie started her position in Ecology, Evolution and Behavior at the University of Minnesota in January 2011. Emilie has received funding from NSF and NIH, serves on the editorial board of Proceedings of the Royal Society and the American Naturalist. She has been awarded a young investigator award by the Animal Behavior Society and a McKnight Land Grant by the University of Minnesota.

Schedule:

1:00 p.m. – Doors open
1:15 p.m. – Business meeting and board elections
1:45 p.m. – Social time
2:00 p.m. – Presentation
4:00 p.m. – Dinner at Q.Cumbers, 7465 France Ave S, Edina

Board Elections:

Elections for the board will occur at this meeting. A full slate of candidates was nominated at the January 15th Minnesota Atheists meeting. All candidates are running unopposed. Candidate statements will be in the February Newsletter. The nominees are:

• President: Alyssa Ehni
• Associate President: Art Kallenbach
• Chair: Heather Hegi
• Associate Chair: Georgia Hancock Tsoi
• Secretary: Hertzey Hertz
• Treasurer: Chris Matthews
• Directors-at-Large: August Berkshire, Eric Jayne, and Mike Sasse

Minnesota Atheists is a non-profit organization run by volunteers who are elected on an annual basis by the dues paying membership (Join or Renew your Membership here).

If you have any questions, feel free to email Heather at chair@mnatheists.org or any other board member. Click here to see who’s on the 2016 Board.

The new board will take effect on March 1, 2017.

Categories: Events

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