Brains on the Move: MSU scholars examine how movement shapes the mind
Contact: Sarah Nicholas
STARKVILLE, Miss.––Mississippi State’s Institute for the Humanities in the College of Arts and Sciences will host an interdisciplinary conversation next month exploring how physical movement affects the brain and cognitive function.
Brains on the Move: The Philosophy and Cognitive Science of Movement is scheduled for April 2, 4 p.m., in Old Main Academic Center Room 3070. The event is free and open to the public.
Blending insight from the humanities and sciences to better understand the connection between body and mind, MSU philosophy and kinesiology faculty will explore topics including why people often solve problems while walking, what happens in the brain when people are focused and how movement shapes thinking and mental performance.
John Bickle, professor of philosophy and religion, and Gregory Twietmeyer, associate professor of kinesiology, will lead the discussion on happenings inside the brain during moments of heightened focus, as well as broader ways movement shapes cognitive processes.
“This conversation brings together two fields that don’t often share the same stage but absolutely should,” said Morgan Robinson, Institute for the Humanities director and associate professor of history. “We all intuitively sense movement changes how we think—like having a eureka moment while we exercise. Brains on the Move invites our campus and community to explore the science and philosophy behind these moments.”
MSU’s Institute for the Humanities promotes research, scholarship and creative performances in the humanistic disciplines while raising their visibility within the university and the wider community.
For more details about the College of Arts and Sciences and Institute for the Humanities visit www.cas.msstate.edu and www.ih.msstate.edu. For more information about the Department of Kinesiology, visit www.kinesiology.msstate.edu.
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