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Evolutionary psychologist Steven Pinker to address UO community
Harvard professor, author to usher in 2008-09 academic year with Convocation keynote
EUGENE, Ore. -- (Sept. 9, 2008) -- What makes us laugh? Why do some people swear?
The 2008-09 academic year at the University of Oregon will start with answers to these questions at University Convocation beginning at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 28, at McArthur Court, 1601 University St. 
Eager first-year students and newly appointed UO faculty members will be welcomed with ceremony into the academic community by students, faculty, staff and administrators.
The event is free and open to all UO students, staff, faculty and the public. Doors will open at 3 p.m.
The University Convocation will include a keynote address by Steven Pinker, best-selling author and a leading cognitive scientist who is acknowledged for his groundbreaking research into how the mind works.
Pinker is the Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. He specializes in visual cognition and language and is known to make connections to audiences through humor and frequent reference to popular culture.
Pinker was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world in 2004 and has appeared on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" to discuss his research expertise.
Pinker's books, including "The Language Instinct" (1994), "How the Mind Works" (1997), "Words and Rules" (2000), "The Blank Slate" (2002) and "The Stuff of Thought" (2007), have been New York Times best-sellers and won numerous awards.
Following Convocation, the UO Duck Store will sponsor a book signing event with Pinker.
Past Convocation speakers have included physicist James Gates, U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins, political analyst Kathleen Hall Jamieson and author James McBride.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of 62 of the leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. Membership in the AAU is by invitation only. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.
Contact: Julie Brown, 541-346-3185, julbrown@uoregon.edu
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