College of Coastal Georgia Hosts Eminent International Professor

College of Coastal Georgia Hosts Eminent International Professor

Dr. Armindo Freitas-Magalhães to Open Coastal Scholars Series

Brunswick, GA – Dr. Armindo Freitas-Magalhães, Director of the Facial Emotion Expression Lab (FEELab), Faculty of Health and Sciences, University Fernando Pessoa in Porto, Portugal will be the inaugural speaker for the first Coastal Scholars presentation of the new academic year. He will discuss “Face, Emotion and the Human Brain” on Tuesday, August 25 at 2p.m. in the Stembler Theatre of the Campus Center. The community is invited to join students and faculty for the presentation.

“The entire College of Coastal Georgia community is honored that Dr. Freitas-Magalhães is visiting the College as a Distinguished International Faculty member,” noted Dr. Tracy Pellett, Vice President for Academic Affairs. “His presence and academic stature enhances our educational acumen and provides us with many enriching experiences for students, faculty, and the entire Brunswick-Golden Isles community.“ 

Dr. Freitas-Magalhães, author of The Psychology of the Human Smile, the six-volume Emotional Expression: The Brain and the Face and numerous publications and articles, is one of the world’s leading experts in facial expression of emotion. He is also Coastal Georgia’s inaugural Distinguished International Faculty Visitor, spending the month of August on campus.

Dr. Carla Bluhm, Associate Professor of Psychology, was responsible for establishing the relationship between the College and the University Fernando Pessoa. “I was very privileged to have been invited by Professor Freitas-Magalhães four years ago to participate electronically as a member of an international team of instructors for his graduate course in facial expression of emotion at the University of Fernando Pessoa,” she explained. “Since then, with the support of President Aloia, Rector Trigo of the University of Fernando Pessoa, and Dr. Freitas-Magalhães, I was able to live for five weeks in Porto  last fall, experiencing the beautiful country of Portugal and preparing for the First World Congress on Facial Expression of Emotion, for which I serve as the inaugural president. My collaborations with Dr. Freitas-Magalhães have continued to be very enriching and I am working as a CCGA faculty member to support more international initiatives with our Director of International Initiatives, Adam Johnson.”

“The significance of Professor Freitas-Magalhães’ visit to the College of Coastal Georgia is the first faculty exchange with a partner institution and provides a benchmark for where we need to be in our pursuit of campus internationalization,” Johnson said. “The exchange of faculty research on a collaborative level such as the one between Dr. Carla Bluhm and Professor Freitas-Magalhães will pave the way for future collaborative efforts between our faculty and their counterparts abroad and is essential to providing our institution and our community with the global perspective that is at the heart of international initiatives at CCGA.”

“Introducing Dr. Freitas-Magalhães and his family to the beauty of the Golden Isles is an amazing opportunity for me,” Dr. Bluhm added.