Fall 2009
The Philosophical Baby: What children's minds tell us about
truth, love and the meaning of life
Monday, October 5th, 7:30 pm, Atherton Union Reilly Room
Alison Gopnik,
professor of psychology and affiliate professor of philosophy at
the University of California at Berkeley, is an internationally
recognized leader in the study of children's learning and
development and was the first to argue that children's minds could
help us understand deep philosophical questions. She was one of the
founders of the study of "theory of mind", illuminating how
children come to understand the minds of others, and she formulated
the "theory theory", the idea that children learn in the same way
that scientists do. Professor Gopnik is the author of over one
hundred articles and several books, including the best-selling The
Scientist in the Crib. She will speak on the topic of her new
book.
Bringing Nature Home
Tuesday, November 3rd, 7:30 pm, Clowes Memorial Hall
Doug Tallamy, Professor and
Chair, Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, University of
Delaware, Doug Tallamy wants us to garden as though life depends on
it. His simple but powerful message is this: gardeners can foster
biodiversity simply by choosing to plant more natives. In his
eye-opening book, Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain
Wildlife in Our Gardens , Tallamy shows how life does depend on
what we plant in our backyards. It's a book that makes us look at
our gardens - and think of our role as gardeners - in a new, more
meaningful way. Doors will open at 6:30 for refreshments from local
sources and displays by local conservation and gardening
organizations.
Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks at Cancer and the
Environment
Monday, November 16th, 7:30 pm, Atherton Union Reilly Room
Sandra
Steingraber, ecologist, author, and cancer survivor,
Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D. is an internationally recognized expert
on the environmental links to cancer and human health.
Steingraber's highly acclaimed book, Living Downstream: An
Ecologist Looks at Cancer and the Environment presents cancer as a
human rights issue. It was the first to bring together data on
toxic releases with newly released data from U.S. cancer
registries. Steingraber's new work, Having Faith: An Ecologist's
Journey to Motherhood, explores the intimate ecology of motherhood.
Both a memoir of her own pregnancy and an investigation of fetal
toxicology, Having Faith reveals the alarming extent to which
environmental hazards now threaten each crucial stage of infant
development. Heralded by the Sierra Club as "the new Rachel
Carson," Dr. Steingraber's work bridges the gap between
environmental science and activism.
Spring 2010
Lawrence Krauss, Author
Wednesday, Feb. 24, 7:30 pm, Atherton Union, Reilly Room
Lawrence Krauss,
is professor of physics and director of the Origins Initiative at
Arizona State University. A renowned theoretical physicist, Krauss
is also a best-selling author. His seven popular books - including
The Physics of Star Trek, Quintessence and Hiding in the Mirror -
help make key theories and questions in modern physics accessible
to lay readers. Krauss frequently writes for magazines and
newspapers, including the New York Times and the Wall Street
Journal.
Climate Change and Indiana's Future
Thursday, March 4th, 7:30 pm, Atherton Union, Reilly Room
Dr. Katharine
Hayhoe, Texas Tech University atmospheric scientist,
assesses regional impacts of climate change across a range of
sectors including water resources, human health, agriculture and
natural ecosystems. She leads the climate impact assessments for
the U.S. Midwest and the Eastern Mediterranean and serves as a lead
author for the U.S. Climate Science Program's upcoming report,
"Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States."
Robert H. Frank, Professor
Thursday, March 25th, 7:30 pm, Clowes Memorial Hall
Free of Charge; Ticket Required
Robert H. Frank, an
internationally renowned behavioral economist and New York Times
columnist, Robert H. Frank studies the ways in which social and
psychological forces affect market behavior and the ways markets
and economics affect human behavior. He is an expert on the causes
and consequences of social inequality, and the ways that public
policy can enhance market efficiency and improve the well being of
middle-income.