Psychology graduate student Nicholas Primavera speaking on his thesis work related to the psychology of attractiveness. Photo credit: Carl Cox.
For the third year in a row, members of the New Paltz Evolutionary Psychology Lab held a symposium related to evolution for the Hudson Valley Humanists as part of the Humanists’ celebration of Darwin Day at the New Paltz Community Center. Darwin Day is an international secular holiday held on or near the birthday of Charles Darwin (2/12) as a celebration of Darwin’s contributions to our modern understanding of the nature of life.
The symposium, chaired by Gen Durso, who is a visiting scholar of the lab, focused on the evolutionary psychology of human mating, with a Valentine’s Day theme. At the end of the talks, two members of the Humanists, Russell and Renata, who had met at the Darwin Day event from two years prior, expressed humanistic-themed vows to one another. Then everyone ate Darwin’s birthday cake. It was a great time for all and the members of the lab look forward to future collaborations with the Hudson Valley Humanists.
Lab member Kanji Rodriguez blowing out the candles for Darwin’s birthday cake. Humanist leader, Carol Auer (r), oversaw the ceremony. Photo credit: Carl Cox.
