Beauty At Work

This episode is the second part of our plenary session on the meaning and value of beauty in science which opened  the International Symposium on Beauty at Work that we held  in Washington DC in May 2023.Please check out part 1 of the discussion here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2043099/15037678The session was a discussion between four scientists: Dr. Robert Gilbert (Professor of Biochemistry, University of Oxford); Dr. Aaron Dominguez (Professor of Physics and Provost, Catholic University of America); and Dr. Massimo Robberto (Space Telescope Science Institute) and Dr. Maria Teresa Landi (National Cancer Institute at NIH) who moderated the conversation.There are some beautiful visuals and videos that you can watch on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG_ESu8RPeIThis symposium was sponsored by Templeton Religion Trust, the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at the University of Southern California, the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture at the University of Notre Dame, the Archbridge Institute, and the Institute for Human Ecology at the Catholic University of America.Support the show

What does Beauty mean to scientists? Why does it matter for the practice of science?These questions drive the opening plenary session of the Beauty at Work international symposium held at The Catholic University of America, May 26, 2023.We’re going to share this session with you over the next couple of episodes.The session opened with remarks from the President of the Catholic University of America, Dr. Peter Kilpatrick. It was followed by a discussion between four scientists: Dr. Robert Gilbert (Professor of Biochemistry, University of Oxford); Dr. Aaron Dominguez (Professor of Physics and Provost, Catholic University of America); and Dr. Massimo Robberto (Space Telescope Science Institute) and Dr. Maria Teresa Landi (National Cancer Institute at NIH) who moderated the conversation.There are some beautiful visuals and videos that you can watch on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG_ESu8RPeIThis symposium was sponsored by Templeton Religion Trust, the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at the University of Southern California, the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture at the University of Notre Dame, the Archbridge Institute, and the Institute for Human Ecology at the Catholic University of America.Support the show

In July 2022, we held an interdisciplinary panel at the University of Oxford on the role of beauty in science. The event was sponsored by Templeton Religion Trust and Magdalen College. The panel represented perspectives from diverse disciplines: mathematics, physics, biology, philosophy of science, and sociology.This is the third episode in the series. In this episode, I present results from the world’s first large-scale survey of beauty in science. You can see the slides from the presentation on the YouTube video here: https://youtu.be/t6AQ9O2MLUY?si=VQpoyHYaMSWYpBoN Following this presentation we’ll have a discussion among panelists and Q&A from the audience.Support the show

In July 2022, we held an interdisciplinary panel at Magdalen College the University of Oxford on the role of beauty in science. The event was sponsored by Templeton Religion Trust and Magdalen College. The panel represented perspectives from diverse disciplines: mathematics, physics, biology, philosophy of science, and sociology.You can see the slides from the panelists’ presentations on the YouTube video here: https://youtu.be/t6AQ9O2MLUY?si=VQpoyHYaMSWYpBoNThis is the second episode in the series; in our last episode we heard from Dr. Ben MacArthur and Dr. James McAllister. In this clip we’re going to hear from three panelists:Dr. Milena Ivanova is Bye-Fellow at Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge. She is the co-editor of The Aesthetics of Science: Beauty, Imagination and Understanding (Routledge, 2020), author of Duhem and Holism (Cambridge University Press, 2021), The Aesthetic Nature of Scientific Experiments (Routledge).Dr. Robert Gilbert is Professor of Biophysics in the Nuffield Department of Medicine and Director of the University of Oxford’s Medical Sciences Graduate School. He is the author of Science and the Truthfulness of Beauty (Routledge, 2018).Dr. Sabine Hossenfelder is the author of Lost in Math: How Beauty Leads Physics Astray (Basic Books, 2018) and Existential Physics: A Scientist’s Guide to Life’s Biggest Questions (Viking and Atlantic Books, 2022) and creative director of the YouTube channel “Science without the gobbledygook.”Support the show

In July 2022, we held an interdisciplinary panel at Magdalen College at the University of Oxford on the role of beauty in science. The event was sponsored by Templeton Religion Trust and Magdalen College. The panel represented perspectives from diverse disciplines: mathematics, physics, biology, philosophy of science, and sociology.We’re going to share this conversation with you over the next few episodes. You can see the slides from the panelists’ presentations on the YouTube video here: https://youtu.be/t6AQ9O2MLUY?si=VQpoyHYaMSWYpBoNIn this first clip, we’ll hear from Dr. Ben MacArthur, who is Director of AI for Science and Government and Deputy Programme Director for Health and Medical Sciences at the Alan Turing Institute. He is also Professor in the Faculty of Medicine and the School of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Southampton.Following that we’ll hear from Dr. James McAllister, who is Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at Leiden University. He is the author of Beauty and Revolution in Science (Cornell University Press, 1996). We’ll hear from our other panelists in our next episode.Support the show

Is beauty a reliable guide to truth in science? No, says physicist, author, and science communicator Dr. Sabine Hossenfelder. In this clip, she discusses how the concept of “naturalness” is related to beauty and why it’s misleadingFor the full interview see: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2043099/12833522  For the broader project, visit: https://www.beautyatwork.net Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BeautyatWorkPodcastSupport the show

Iconographer David Clayton, who was trained in materials science at Oxford, discusses why it seems that there is a gulf between art and science, and shares ideas for how to bring the two closer together.For the full interview see: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2043099/12739891   For the broader project, visit: https://www.beautyatwork.net Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BeautyatWorkPodcastSupport the show

What does math teach us about beauty? In this clip, mathematician Dr. Carlo Lancellotti discusses how the search for an elegant, simple equation is similar to the quest to build a beautiful cathedral. He also discusses the link between math and spirituality.For the full interview see: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2043099/12648186 For the broader project, visit: https://www.beautyatwork.net Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BeautyatWorkPodcastSupport the show

Where do scientists find beauty in their work and why does it matter to them? Immunologist Dr. Mark Painter argues that what’s central here is not simply the visual or sensory beauty he encounters in the phenomena he studies, but the beauty of understanding that science affords.For the full interview see: ttps://www.buzzsprout.com/2043099/12547248 For the broader project, visit: https://www.beautyatwork.net Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BeautyatWorkPodcastSupport the show

Yale psychologist Dr. Frank Keil discusses the importance of fostering wonder in education, the impact of modern technology on children's understanding, and the challenges scientists face in maintaining curiosity in academic environments.