Of dance and slugs -- making a case for the liberal arts | James Newcomb | TEDxNewEnglandCollege

Moving from dance to slugs, James Newcomb builds a case for the value of a liberal arts education, basic scientific research, and invertebrates as model systems for understanding how organisms work. And do not forget the dancing slugs! Their relatively simple nervous systems might just someday tell us something about our own daily rhythms.

Jim is the son of a nurse and an electrical engineer, the latter of whom he assisted with countless do-it-yourself projects while growing up in suburban New Hampshire. After promising to never again dabble in electronics, he proceeded to specialize in electrophysiology while earning a Master’s and then a Doctorate in Biology studying the nervous system of invertebrates. He continues to work to gain a better understanding of how the nervous system produces behavior and evolves over time. Jim is not a musician, poet, or philosopher, but does have a decade of modern dance choreography and performance to draw from while teaching biology and striving to raise two wonderful daughters with his wife and partner in life. He also hopes that these life travels will enable him an opportunity to someday visit Norway.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx