The Academic Minute from 12.23 – 12.27
Monday
Kirk Schneider – Saybrook University
The Need For Raw Awe
Kirk J. Schneider, Ph.D. is a leading spokesperson for existential-humanistic and existential-integrative psychology, an adjunct faculty member at Saybrook University and formerly Teachers College, Columbia University, and a cofounder and current president of the award-winning Existential-Humanistic Institute. He was also a 2022 candidate for president-elect of the American Psychological Association (APA). Dr. Schneider has authored/coauthored 15 books including Awakening to Awe, The Polarized Mind, The Depolarizing of America , and his latest book: Life-Enhancing Anxiety: Key to a Sane World. He also recently wrote an article called “We Need Raw Awe” for the online magazine Aeon, from which much of this Academic Minute is drawn.
Tuesday
Jose Valentino Ruiz – University of Florida
Timeless Lessons From Quincy Jones
José Valentino Ruiz, Ph.D., D.Min., D.B.E., is an internationally renowned musician, producer, and educator blending music performance, industry leadership, and arts entrepreneurship. As CEO of JV Music Enterprises and a decorated multi-instrumentalist, Dr. Ruiz has headlined over 1,400 concerts globally, including at Carnegie Hall, and collaborated with icons like Chick Corea and Victor Wooten. Ruiz is the recipient of numerous Grammy®, Emmy®, IADAS Anthem®, Global Genius®, and Global Music® Awards, with achievements across music performance, production, digital media, and arts entrepreneurship. At the University of Florida, Ruiz is dedicated to advancing arts entrepreneurship education, fostering cultural awareness, and advocating for quality of life in music. Ruiz’s extensive research addresses the intersections of music business, cross-genre production, and digital innovation, reflecting his commitment to mentoring the next generation of music entrepreneurs and leveraging music’s power to connect communities globally.
Wednesday
Nikolay Kukushkin – New York University
Kidney Cells Learn Like College Students
Nikolay Kukushkin is Clinical Associate Professor at NYU. He holds a D. Phil. in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford (UK) and a B. Sc. in Biology from St. Petersburg State University (Russia). His research deals with the role of time patterns in memory formation. He is the author of a bestselling, award-winning book “One Hand Clapping: The Origin Story of The Human Mind” (Alpina Non-Fiction, Moscow, 2020), which traces the origins of human consciousness. The book will be published in English in 2025 by Prometheus (US) and Swift Press (UK and worldwide).
Thursday
Garriy Shteynberg – University of Tennessee
Shared Attention Across Societal Divides
Garriy Shteynberg is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Garriy received his PhD in psychology from the University of Maryland, and a Master’s in Social and Cultural Anthropology from Oxford University. Beginning with his dissertation work, and taking over a decade to develop, Shteynberg has conceptualized and empirically tested the idea that shared awareness (theory of collective mind) is a hallmark of human psychology. Shteynberg has applied the concept of shared awareness to solve problems and reveal new questions in a variety of disciplines: the emergence of strategic cooperation (economics), novel social norms (sociology, anthropology), effective learning & teaching (education), social identities (psychology), the paradox of common knowledge (philosophy), and problem-solving (organizational behavior).
Friday
Scott Malia – College of the Holy Cross
What Makes Bad Movies So Good?
Associate Professor of Theatre whose specialties include LGBTQ+ Theatre, Comedy, Television, Horror Films and Cult Films. His book, Giorgio Strehler Directs Carlo Goldoni was published by Lexington Books in 2013. Other articles and writings have appeared in Theatre Journal, The Conversation, and New England Theatre Journal. His plays, The Interview, A Few Adustments and Buffering were performed as part of the Boston Theatre Marathon, with two of them published by Smith & Krauss.
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