Marathon Grill and MarBar
Technically, this is a free event. The MarBar gives you the option of ordering from the menu, but given the amount of attention I got from the waiter, it’s definitely optional. Most institutions have public events to show how clev-er and productive their researchers are. The Penn Science Cafe al-lows Penn to boast about one thing more: their faculty members have a good sense of humor. The most recent speaker was Robert Kurzban, assistant profes-sor in Penn’s Department of Psychology, who on July 25 gave a talk entitled “Maybe You Can Hurry Love: The Science of Mating and Dating.” Dr. Kurzban studied participants in speed-dating, where couples get 3-4 minutes to talk before moving onto the next potential mate. Kurzban had two hypotheses to test: the “Disney model,” where like attracts like; and the ”market model,” where the most intelligent, charming, witty and good-looking per-son is willing to settle for you. Kurzban’s research supports the market model; the same people were consistently deemed desir-able by all observers. The most important factor was the ratio of height to weight, so anyone wanting to improve their marketabil-ity is advised to visit the gym and improve their BMI. So far, the Penn Science cafe isn’t set up for overheads or other visual aids, but there are no quizzes or assigned readings either. The next topic is “Will Teaching Evolution Become Extinct?” on Monday, August 29, and the speakers are Paul Sniegowski, Department of Biology, and Michael Weisberg, Department of Philosophy.
|