Paul Grobstein Eleanor A. Bliss Professor of Biology, Bryn Mawr College Past Director, Bryn Mawr College Center for Science in Society Serendip co-founder

Academia

Publications

Courses

Web Activity

Contact Info

Current Explorations (in blog format)

Curriculum Vita (Word file)

I'm a neurobiologist, educator, and parent with a life-long interest in understanding why people behave the way they do, and how they can continually expand their capabilities.

I've done laboratory research on the organization and development of the nervous systems of crayfish, rabbits, leeches, and, most extensively, frogs, where the work focused on the nature of spatial representations. and the origins, organization, regulation, and significance of unpredictability in neuronal function and behavior. This research related as well to several broader questions, including the distinction between conscious and unconscious processing, and the nature of individual choice and free will.

I'm also a biologist and philosopher, with an array of more general interests in the underpinnings of human behavior, the nature of biological, cultural, and intellectual change, complex systems and general information processing principles, and the character of human understanding and the relationships among its different forms. In recent years, I've come to think of myself as an "applied neurobiologist", and devoted much of my time to thinking about the implications of current and anticipated understandings of the brain for a variety of practical and philosophical issues, including mental health, child-rearing, political decision-making, and education. Associated with this is a strong commitment to improving the educational environment at all levels and for all people.

I am, in addition, an active explorer of the opportunities being made available by the development of computing technology, and of the internet and the web. With a number of colleagues, I co-founded and continue to develop the Serendip website as a venue for explorations of new directions for the development of human culture that are being opened up by the world wide web.

Common to all these activities is a strong belief in the capabilities of the human brain to explore and create, both individually and collectively, in ways that achieve improved understandings of the human condition and open new avenues for its further development. And a belief that modern information technology, including the web, is a distinctive and valuable tool for the extension of human understanding.

ACADEMIC SYNOPSIS B.A, Harvard University, 1969 M.A., Ph.D., Stanford University, 1970, 1973 Postdoctoral Fellowships at Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University Assistant and Associate Professor, University of Chicago, 1974-1985 Professor of Biology, Bryn Mawr College, 1986-present 1986-1993, Chair of Department 1988-present, Eleanor A. Bliss Professorship 2000-2007, Director, Center for Science in Society Selected Print Publications (see to right for additional web publications) Grobstein, P. (2008) The Brain as a Learner/Inquirer/Creator: Some Implications of its Organization for Individual and Social Well-Being, submitted Grobstein, P. (2007) From Complexity to Emergence and Beyond: Towards Empirical Non-Foundationalism as a Guide to Inquiry, Soundings 90(1/2): 301-323 (manuscript as Word file) Grobstein, P. (2007) Interdisciplinarity, Transdisciplinarity, and Beyond: The Brain, Story Sharing, and Social Organization, Journal of Research Practice 3(2): M21. (earlier manuscript, Social Organization as Applied Neurobiology: The Value of Stories and Story Creation, as a .pdf file) Dalke A. and Grobstein, P. (2007) Story-Telling in (At Least) Three Dimensional Story Telling: An Exploration of Teaching Reading, Writing, and Beyond, Journal of Teaching Writing 23(1): 91-114, PDF available (earlier draft). Dalke, A., Cassidy, K., Dalke, A., Grobstein, P., and Blank, D. (2007) Emergent Pedagogy: Learning to Enjoy the Uncontrollable and Make it Productive, Journal of Educational Change 8(2): 111-130, PDF available (draft, 2004) Dalke, A., Grobstein, P. and McCormack, E. (2006) Exploring Interdisciplinarity: The Significance of Metaphoric and Metonymic Exchange Journal of Research Practice, Volume 2.2, Article M3 Dalke, A., Grobstein, P. and McCormack, E. (2006) Why and How to be Interdisciplinary, Academe, May/June 2006 Grobstein, Paul (2005) Revisiting Science in Culture: Science as Story Telling and Story Revising, Journal of Research Practice, Volume 1.1, Article M1. Grobstein, P. (2005) Making the Unconscious Conscious, and Vice Versa: A Bi-directional Bridge Between Neuroscience/Cognitive Science and Psychotherapy?, Cortex 41: 663-668. Grobstein, P. (2003) Getting it less wrong, the brain's way: science, pragmatism, and multiplism, IN Interpretation and Its Objects: Studies in the Philosophy of Michael Krausz (A. Ritivoi, ed.), Rodopi, pp 153-166 Dalke A., McCormack, E, and Grobstein, P. (2003) Theorizing Interdisciplinarity: The Evolution of New Academic and Intellectual Communities, submitted Grobstein, P. (2002) Who's afraid of Emily Dickinson, or how I learned to stop worrying and love the brain, Newsletter of the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia Patton, P. and Grobstein, P (1998) The effects of telencephalic lesions on visually mediated prey orienting behavior in the frog (Rana pipiens). I. The effects of complete removal of one telencephalic lobe, with a comparison to the effects of unilateral tectal lobe lesions. Brain, Behavior, and Evolution 51: 123-143. Patton, P. and Grobstein, P (1998) The effects of telencephalic lesions on visually mediated prey orienting behavior in the frog (Rana pipiens). II. The effect of limited lesions to the telencephalon. Brain, Behavior, and Evolution 51: 144-161. Grobstein, P. et al. (1994-present) Serendip, a WWW resource - http://serendipstudio.org Includes (see right column for more): On Beyond Newton: From Simple Rules to Stability, Fluctuation, and Chaos The Magic Sierpinski Triangle, Order Dependent on Randomness Simple Networks, Simple Rules: Learning and Creating Categories Time to Think? Grobstein, P. (1994) Variability in behavior and the nervous system. In: Encyclopedia of Human Behavior, Volume 4 (V.S. Ramachandran, ed.), Academic Press, 447-458. Grobstein, P. (1992) Directed movement in the frog: motor choice, spatial representation, free will? In: Neurobiology of Motor Programme Selection: New Approaches to Mechanisms of Behavioral Choice. (Kien, J., McCrohan, C., Winlow, B., eds.), Pergamon Press, pp 251-279, , PDF available Grobstein, P. (1990) Strategies for analyzing complex organization in the nervous system. I. Lesion experiments, the old rediscovered. In: Computational Neuroscience. (Schwartz, E., ed.), MIT Press, pp 19-37, PDF available Grobstein, P. (1990) Strategies for analyzing complex organization in the nervous system. II. A Case Study: Directed Movement and Spatial Representation in the Frog. In: Computational Neuroscience. (Schwartz, E., ed.), MIT Press, pp 19-37, PDF available Grobstein, P. (1988) From the head to the heart: some thoughts on similarities between brain function and morphogenesis, and on their significance for research methodology and biological theory. Experientia 44: 961-971. Bryn Mawr College courses Introductory Biology Neurobiology and Behavior Freshman Seminar The Story of Evolution and the Evolution of Stories (Biology 223 = English 223) Philosophy of Science (Biology 310 = Philosophy 310) Emergence (Biology 361 = Computer Science 361) Additional teaching activities Inquiry, Interaction, and Technology - a workshop for education students Brain and Behavior Institute - for Philadelphia precollege teachers Diversity and Discovery Institute - for Philadelphia precollege teachers Contact Information Department of Biology Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr Pennsylvania 19010 pgrobste@brynmawr.edu TEL 610 526-5098 FAX 610 526-5086 Bryn Mawr College Biology Department Bryn Mawr College Center for Science in Society Serendip More recent images Thanks to Maria Scott-Wittenborn Thanks to Susan McGregor Thanks to Yusra Visser Thanks to Yusra Visser

RECENT WEB ACTIVITY (Click for earlier) New Serendip exhibits The Need for a Scientific Code of Conduct?, March 2008 Hofstadter's Road Sign, March 2008 David Hume: A Letter to a Physician, March 2008 Individuals and Cultures, March 2008 Brain and Education: Thinking About New Directions, March 2007 The Nature of Science: The "Problem of Unconceived Alternatives" and its Significance, September 2006 Science and Conversation, September 2006 Models of Mental Health, August 2006 Ant Colonies: Social Organization Without a Director?, July 2006 Getting It Less Wrong, May 2006 Thinking About an Elementary Science Education Curriculum, January 2006 and ongoing The Psychoanalyst and the Neurobiologist: A Conversation about Healing the Soul and Telling Stories of the Mind, Brain, Self, and Culture, January 2006 Science as Storytelling or Story Telling? A Conversation About Science Education ... and Science, December 2005 The Art Historian and the Neurobiologist: A Conversation About Proprioception, the "I-function", Body Art, and ... Story Telling?, Fall 2005 The Novelist and the Neurobiologist: A Conversation About Story Telling, Fall 2005 Evolution and Intelligent Design: Perspectives and Resources, Fall 2005 Science as Story Telling in Action, Summer 2005 The World of Langton's Ant: Exploring Purpose, Summer 2005 Science As Story Telling and Story Revision: A Conversation, Spring 2005 What Do People Actually Do at the Trevi Fountain? - a photo essay, Winter 2004 Education and Technology: Serendip's Experiences 1994-2004, Fall 2004 Writing Descartes: I Am and I Can Think, Therefore ... , Summer, 2004 Once Upon a Time is Now, Summer 2004 Thinking broadly: notes of a public intellectual (recent essays available on Serendip) Paths to Story Telling as Life: Fellow Traveling with Richard Rorty, July 2007 The Scientific Mind, the Brain, and Human Culture: Story Telling and Story Sharing, June 2007 Textbooks and Introductory Science Education, January 2007 Review of "Thinking in Pictures: My Life with Autism", by Temple Grandin, August 2006 How to Make Sure Children are Scientifically Literate, August, 2006 Science/Religion Clash?, August 2006 The Perils and Potentials of "I Believe ...", April 2006 Intelligent Design and the Story of Evolution: No Need for Drawing Lines in the Sand, September 2005 Fundamentalism and Relativism: Finding a New Direction, April 2005 Writing Descartes: I Am, and I Can Think, Therefore ... , June 2004 The Scale of Humanness, April 2004 Science Matters ... How?, November 2003 The Neurobiology of Parenting, November 2003 Some Thoughts on Academic Structure (and Socio-Political Structures Generally): A Biological Metaphor as an Alternative to Both State's Rights and Federalism, November 2003 "I Believe ... ": Its Significance and Limitations for Individuals, Science, and Politics, July 2003 Language/Science/Politics 101: War Is A Bad Metaphor, June 2003 On Being a "Lonely Atheist, February 2001 Recent web-based talks/presentations Inquiry as Emergence: Product and Contributor, December 2007 Empirical Inquiry: Limitations and Possibilities, December 2007 The Brain and Social Well-Being, November 2007 Living a Life of Risk, and Why: Encouraging Innovation in Individuals and Communities, October 2007 Learning and the Brain, October 2007 Thinking about Science: Fact versus Story Telling and "Right" vs "Less Wrong, June 2007 The Human Condition As Seen by a Materialist Neurobiologist, May 2007 Science as Exploration/Story Telling and the Brain as a Scientist/Explorer/Story Teller, October 2006 Evolving Science Education: Progress Report and Prospectus, October 2006 Applied Neurobiology: A Brain Wider Than the Sky ... and Why It Matters, September 2006 Science as Story Telling and the Brain as a Scientist/Story Teller, June 2006 From Complexity to Emergence and Beyond: The Nature of Inquiry, and of What is Being Inquired Into, June 2006 Thinking About an Elementary Science Education Curriculum, February 2006 Intelligent Design and Evolution: A Significant Issue in Science and Public Policy, February 2006 Theory and Practice of Non-Normal Inquiry, February 2006 Rethinking Science Education: An Overview, January 2006 Elementary Education: The Brain as Scientist and Science as Story Telling Biology 202 Evolving, December 2005 The Emergence and (continuing) Evolution of the Story of Story Telling On Beyond Post-Modernism: Discriminating Stories, October 2005 Intelligent Design and the Story of Evolution ... An Update, October 2005 Does Biology Have Anything to Contribute to Thinking About Sex and Gender. I. Embodiment and the Brain, October 2005 The Brain: Insights into Individuals and Social Organization, September 2005 The Importance of Process in Science, the Brain, and Education, August 2005 Science as Story Telling in Action: The Web, the Brain, and Society, August 2005 Experiential Learning and Purpose-Centered Education Meets Liberal Arts and Science Education: What Can We Do For Each Other?, June 2005 Intellectual Exchange as a Medium for Community Building on the Web and Beyond, June 2005 On the Difference (?) Between Ants and People, May 2005 The Emerging Scientific Mind/Brain, May 2005 The Relevance of the Brain for Psychotherapy (and Vice Versa), With Particular Reference to Human Development, April 2005 Looking to the Brain for Psychotherapeutic Insights and to Psychotherapy for Insights into the Brain: Notes for a New Story, March 2005 Science, Biology, and the Brain as Emergent Systems, March 2005 Become a Better Learner: Unleash Your Brain, March 2005 Bridging Cultures: Looking to the Brain for Psychotherapeutic Insights and to Psychotherapy for Insights into the Brain, March 2005 Thinking About Science: Evolving Stories, January 2005 The Bipartite Brain And Its Significance for Idealism, Pragmatism and Other Matters , January 2005 Continuity and Catastrophe: From and About The Indian Ocean Tsunami, January 2005 Science, Brains, Humanity, December 2004 Emerging Emergence: From the Active Inanimate to Models to Stories to Agency (and Back Again), October 2004 History and Memory: What Does the Mind/Brain/Nervous System Have to Do With It?, October 2004 (with Elliott Shore) Does Biology Have Anything to Contribute to Thinking About Sex and Gender?, October 2004 The Brain: Insights into Individuals and Complex Organization, September 2004 Science in Society in the 21st Century: Interdisciplinarity and Beyond, August 2004 Teaching With/On the Web, April 2004 A Biological Perspective on Mental Health, February 2004 Genetics and Evolution The Brain and Culture Selected earlier materials Education as Applied Neurobiology: Students and Teachers as Story Tellers/Listeners/Exchangers, January 2004 Quantity, Quality, and Value: A View from the Brain, December 2003 Understanding the Brain: Implications for Education, and the Bryn Mawr Center for Science in Society: Learning to Put Theory into Practice, November 2003 One Man's Story of Learning Through Diversity, (October, 2003) Psychoanalysis and Neuroscience: Enemies, Acquaintances, Bedfellows?, (October, 2003) A Story of Emergence Emerging (September, 2003) Emergence and Contingency/Purpose/Agency: An Exploration of an Intersection Between History and Biology/Neurobiology, September, 2003 College Seminar and the Public/Private Arenas (August, 2003, with Anne Dalke) Mind-Body Connection: The Brain, 9 April 2003 A Vision of Science (and Science Education) in the 21st Century: Everybody "Getting It Less Wrong" Together (3 April, 2003, Illinois Science and Mathematics Academy, see paper) Timing the Conscious and the Unconscious: Some Implications for Thinking ... and Thinking About Time (18 March 2003) Understanding the Brain: Implications for Education (19 December 2002, Counseling Association of Greater Philadelphia) Philosophies of Science: A View From the Brain (11 December 2002) From Complex Systems to Emergence: A General Conceptual and Philosophical Perspective (November 15, 2002) The Brain's Images: Co-Constructing Reality and Self (11 August 2002, 11th Annual Usability Professional's Organization Meeting, see Paper) Loopiness As a Pedagogical Methodology (May, 2002, with Anne Dalke) Introductory Science: Experiments in Bridging Cultures (spring, 2002) Depression, or (Better?) Thinking About Mood (spring 2002) Brains, Computers, and Education 2000, a five year progress report