Nicky Clayton played a video Tuesday afternoon of her teaching a bird to plan for the future.
Clayton and Clive Wilkins, both from the Department of Psychology of the University of Cambridge, will spend the week at UF discussing the benefits of arts and sciences by collaborating through discussion, lecture and performance.
As the bird chose between eating worms and nuts, Clayton explained in the second lecture, “The Evolution of Shopping Lists,” that humans aren’t the only species capable of making decisions for their futures.
“It was really simple experiments but powerful results,” said Vincent Cannataro, a 26-year-old UF biology fifth-year student. “It’s a signature of great science.”
Robert Holt, a UF biology professor, invited Clayton and Wilkins from England to help promote the collaboration of the arts with science.
The events began Monday morning with “Creative Navigator’s Lens,” where the lecturers discussed the use of arts to highlight and add meaning to science.
“We need to develop the fresh ways of thinking,” Holt said.
Wilkins, an artist-in-residence, and Clayton, a professor of comparative cognition, first united the arts and sciences through dance.
Wilkins said this way of thinking can help people make sense of their lives. He said he and Clayton hope students come away with the wonder and fascination they once had as children.
“We’re all going to live a long time,” Wilkins said. “How do we maintain an interest in our world right to the very end?”
[A version of this story ran on page 8 on 4/1/2015 under the headline “Weeklong arts and sciences lecture series continues today”]
Wednesday, 6:15 p.m. - Bartram Hall, Room 211: “The Spoon Lecture” will feature a dancing professor and magic performed by Clayton and Wilkins. “If we do our job right, I don’t think you will think about a spoon the same again,” Clayton said.
Thursday, 4:05 p.m. - Physics Building, Conference Room 2205: “Ways of Thinking: From Crows to Children and Back Again” will feature Clayton’s discussion on comparative cognition.
Thursday, 6:15 p.m. - Fine Arts Building B, Room 103: “An Artist’s Life” hosted by Wilkins will explore how he analyzes the world scientifically with a creative eye. “We all want to make sense of our lives,” Wilkins said.
Friday, 8 p.m. - The Movement (1212 N. Main St.): “First Friday Papirusa Monthly Milonga” features community tango lessons with a $10 fee. “We need new ways of grappling with life,” Holt said.
Saturday, 1 p.m. - Samuel P. Harn Museum of Art: “Conversations Without Words: Tango, Contact and Communication” encourages discussion with tango dancing.
Nicola Clayton, a professor of comparative cognition at the University of Cambridge, presents her lecture titled “The Evolution of Shopping Lists,” to a packed audience in Bertram Hall on Tuesday afternoon. In her lecture, Clayton argued that humans are not the only organism capable of remembering the past to plan for the future.
