Nancy E. Aiken
Nancy E. Aiken is an independent scholar who earned a Ph.D. from Ohio University in 1992 in the Individual Interdisciplinary Program. She synthesized studies in neurobiology, evolutionary theory, ethology, psychology, philosophy, and art history in order to answer the question, “How does art evoke emotion.” Her dissertation, A Biological Basis for the Emotional Impact of Art, was published in 1998 by Praeger under the title, The Biological Origins of Art. Her work was discussed in Discover magazine in 1999 (Richard Conniff, The natural history of art, Discover, Vol. 20, No. 11 (Nov. 1999), 94-101). She has given two invited presentations. “Why do we make art” was presented at the First International Conference on Sociobiology and Art August 19-21, 1993 in Amsterdam. “Art is a bridge between unconscious and conscious thought” was presented at a symposium, Art-Body-Mind: An Integration, at Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, Nov. 2-5, 2000. She has published a number of journal articles and book chapters.
In keeping with her interdisciplinary work she has presented papers at a variety of academic conferences: the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, the Association of Politics and the Life Sciences, the European Sociobiological Society, and the American Political Science Association.
An undergraduate art major, her work has been exhibited in numerous juried shows. As an occasional instructor, she taught logic at Ohio University and communications at Hocking College.
In keeping with her interdisciplinary work she has presented papers at a variety of academic conferences: the Human Behavior and Evolution Society, the Association of Politics and the Life Sciences, the European Sociobiological Society, and the American Political Science Association.
An undergraduate art major, her work has been exhibited in numerous juried shows. As an occasional instructor, she taught logic at Ohio University and communications at Hocking College.
