SOFAlab: A Pair of Talks at GMU - Tue, Oct 18 & Wed, Oct 19, 2010

With SOFAlab's goal to explore the interchange between science, art, and culture, Hamiltonian Artists is proud to support the following presentations organized and hosted by the Center for Consciousness and Transformation at George Mason University on building contemplative practices into the science curricula and the creative process. The presenter, Dr. Michelle Francl, is an associate professor of chemistry at Bryn Mawr College and she is also CCT's visiting scholar for the fall semester.

(Both presentations will be held on the Fairfax Campus of George Mason Univerisity.)

Experiments in Patience and Attention
Bringing Contemplative Practices into the Lab and Classroom
Tuesday, October 19, Noon-1:30pm - LUNCH INCLUDED
@ Edwin Meese Conference Room, Mason Hall

Scientists deal in the objective, using methods that take pains to exclude the personal inclinations of the observer.  In contrast, imagine "contemplatives" sitting at the opposite pole, focusing on the subjective, the intensely personal. This presentation will address the questions of
· What contemplative practices might make the most difference for science students? 
· What evidence is there that these practices are effective? 

Creativity and Contemplative Practices
Wednesday, October 20, 9:00-10:30am - BREAKFAST INCLUDED 
@School of Art Builing, Room 1005

What are the ways in which sitting to meditate or other practices of stillness can support and enhance the creative process for artists of all sorts? In this presentation and conversation, we will explore ways to mindfully do "nothing", and how that, in turn, can make something happen. What does it mean for a creative person in any field of the arts to show up and be present, and how can the disciplines of mindfulness practice support that fundamental element of the creative process? We will explore these questions together. 

TO ATTEND: RSVP to infocct at gmu.edu by October 12

ABOUT MICHELLE FRANCL
Michelle M. Francl, PhD, is a professor of chemistry at Bryn Mawr College, where she has been on the faculty for more than two decades. She is a quantum chemist whose research interests include development of methods for computational chemistry and the structures of topologically intriguing molecules.  She is also a writer whose essays on science, culture, and policy have appeared in Nature Chemistry and in the collection Parenting and Professing, and she has a regular column on living the contemplative life in a local newspaper. Her interest in contemplative practices is fed by her participation in the monastic hours with a nearby Augustinian monastic community, and a long-standing meditation practice.  In 2008-09, she held a fellowship in contemplative practices from the Center for the Contemplative Mind in Society.  She is a Fellow of the American Chemical Society.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact CCT at infocct at gmu.eduor
703.993.6090.