Ready to be inspired? Mark your calendars for this spring’s named lectures!
This spring, departments and programs across Arts & Sciences are hosting speakers virtually and in person for their named lectures. Memorial and distinguished lectureships allow us to broaden conversations and research at the university by infusing new ideas into our halls and classrooms. Below is an overview of some of the distinguished lecture series in Arts & Sciences coming this semester.
MLA Lecture Series
February 5: Doug Wiens, "Slow and Not So Steady: Glaciers, Ice Sheets, and Sea Level Rise"
February 12: David Marchant, "Mindful Movement for Healthy Living"
February 19: Hillary Elfenbein, "Emotional Intelligence: A Skill That Is Intended to Move You"
February 26: Zakiya Luna, "Social Movements and Social Change"
To be perfectly still or frozen in time is a notable phenomenon. Motion, or change of position, is a more familiar state. A series of four lectures on this year's theme will explore ways that motion impacts our physical and social worlds, and, on a smaller scale, our personal and professional lives. Doug Wiens uses glacial movement and his research on Antarctica to address the global issue of climate change. David Marchant focuses on everyday movement. He shares simple practices for being present in our minds and bodies, and shows us that, by finding the pleasure in everyday activities, we can disrupt our habitual mindsets and rejuvenate our joy of living. Hillary Elfenbein addresses emotion at work. Emotion is both a kind of movement and something that moves people, and Elfenbein explores the power of emotional intelligence as a mover. Our series concludes with a return to macro-level motion: Zakiya Luna discusses social movements and their relationship to social change.
Recent past themes have included "Unprecedented Times," 2021; "Transition," 2020; "Memory," 2019; and "Rhythm," 2018.
William H. Roever Lectures in Geometry
February 17: Tye Lidman, "Knots and Crossings"
Established in 1982 by his sons William A. and Frederick H. Roever and members of their families, the series memorializes their father. After graduating from WashU in 1897, William H. Roever studied mathematics at Harvard University, where he received his doctorate. He returned to WashU in 1908, where he spent his prodigious career, serving as chairman of the Department of Mathematics and Astronomy from 1932 until his retirement in 1945.
Past Speakers: Alexander Barvinok, 2017; Imre Barany, 2017; Ron Douglas, 2016; Xiaojun Huang, 2015; Fraydoun Rezakhanlou, 2013; Tobias Colding, 2012
Paul and Silvia Rava Memorial Lecture in Italian Studies
February 24: Frank Snowden, "Lombardy at the Epicenter of the Covid-19 Pandemic: The Spring of 2020"
Established in 1997 and funded by the family of Paul and Silvia Rava, this lecture series engages colleagues, students, and friends of Italian from the Saint Louis area to ponder big thoughts, Italian-style. The lecture was established with a generous endowment by Mrs. Silvia Rava in the memory of her late husband, Paul, who died in 1997. This spring, the annual Paul and Silvia Rava Memorial Lecture at Washington University is honored to present Professor Frank Snowden from Yale University. Now in its 25th year, the first Rava lecture was given by Franco Fido, and has been honored by leading lights in Italian literature, history, art history, and culture studies over the years.
Faculty Book Celebration
March 3: Charles Johnson, "Let Your Talent Be Your Guide"
The publication of a monograph or significant creative work is a milestone in the career of an academic. The Center for the Humanities commemorates this achievement annually during the Faculty Book Celebration. The event recognizes WashU faculty from across campus by displaying their recently published works and large-scale creative projects and inviting two campus authors and a guest lecturer to speak at a public gathering. This year's keynote lecture will be delivered by Charles Johnson, professor emeritus at the University of Washington. WashU faculty speakers Diana Montaño, assistant professor in the Department of History, and Julia Walker, associate professor in the Department of English and associate professor and chair in the Performing Arts Department, will discuss their own new book releases.
Recent past speakers include Walter Johnson, 2021; Daphne Brooks, 2020; Caroline Levine, 2019; and Nancy MacLean, 2018.
McDonnell Distinguished Lecture Series
March 30: Colloquium: Victoria Kaspi, “Fast Radio Bursts”
March 31: Public Lecture: Victoria Kaspi, “The Fast Radio Sky”
The McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences sponsors this named lecture series in memory of James Smith McDonnell, whose generous endowment led to the creation of the center in 1974. This year's McDonnell Distinguished Lecture will focus on the recently recognized celestial phenomena known as "fast radio bursts," very short bursts of radio light coming from far outside our Milky Way galaxy and representing explosions of enormous proportion. Their origin is presently unknown. In addition to describing the fast radio burst phenomenon, distinguished lecturer Victoria Kaspi will also discuss how a new Canadian radio telescope, CHIME, is making huge progress in unraveling these mysterious cosmic events.
Past Speakers: Katherine Freese, 2021; Richard Alley, 2019; George Philander, 2018; Bill McKinnon, 2017; John P. Grotzinger, 2016; Roger J. Phillips, 2015
The Biggs Family Residency in Classics
April 4-8: Roger Bagnall
Each spring, a prominent scholar in the field of Classics visits the campus for a week as the Biggs Family Resident. The Resident offers lectures and less formal presentations, and interacts with students and faculty members in a variety of events and settings. This personal contact has proven to be a valuable resource for students of Classics, both graduate and undergraduate, and presents a unique opportunity to learn more about the visiting scholar’s research and area of specialization within the study of Greece and Rome. The Biggs Residency in Classics is the gift of John and Penelope Biggs, alumni of WashU.
Past Speakers: Raffaella Cribiore, 2021; Julia Annas, 2020; Susan Rotroff, 2019; Robert Wallace, 2017; Daniel Mendelsohn, 2016; David Sedley, 2015
E.G. Weltin Lecture in Early Christianity
April 5: Vincent Wimbus, "Signifying on the 'Tribe[s] of Interpreters': 'Early Christianity' as Colonialist-Nationalist Masquerade"
E. G. Weltin retired from full-time teaching after a long and distinguished career as professor of Greek and Roman history and Director of the Program in Religious Studies at Washington University. Upon Weltin's retirement, a lectureship in early Christian history was established in his honor by gifts from his students. Over the past 25 years, the Weltin lectures have brought distinguished scholars of early Christianity to campus for what has become one of the most anticipated events in the Religious Studies academic year.
Recent past speakers include Philippa Townsend, 2021; Amy-Jill Levine, 2019; Elaine Pagels, 2018; Caroline T. Schroeder, 2017; Elizabeth DePalma Digeser, 2016; and J. Albert Harrill, 2015.
Carol B. and Jerome T. Loeb Lectures
April 14: Moon Duchin
Hosted by the mathematics department, this series was established by Carol B. and Jerome T. Loeb as a general interest lecture for mathematicians in 2001. Carol, a mathematician and advocate of math and science in the St. Louis community, serves on the School of Medicine’s National Council and is a Life Member of the Washington University Danforth Circle Dean’s Level. Jerome Loeb, former chairman of the May Department Stores Co., died in 2004. The series includes two lectures, The Undergraduate Loeb Lecture in Mathematics and The Loeb Research Lecture in Mathematics.
Past Speakers: Federico Ardila, 2019; Persi Diaconis, 2018; Erica Flapan, 2017; Robert DeVaney, 2016; Francis Su, 2015
Varner Lecture
April 18: Dominique Bergmann
Joseph Varner joined the biology department of WashU in 1973. He started with a small research group, and soon after arriving, he convinced then-chancellor William Danforth that he could build a first-rate plant biology program if the department were given additional faculty positions. Varner clearly saw that plant biology was nearing a new takeoff point, and he wanted WashU to be part of it. He attracted a number of first-rate junior plant biologists to the department, including Roger Beachy, Mary Dell Chilton, William Outlaw, and Virginia Walbot. The lecture series was established to honor and thank Varner.
Past Speakers: Peter Quail, 2019; Anja Greitmann, 2018; June Nasrallah, 2017; Elliot Meyerowitz, 2016; John Ralph, 2015; Natasha Raikhel, 2014; Olivier Hamant, 2013
The Weissman Lecture Series
This chemistry department-hosted lecture series honors Professor Samuel I. Weissman, who was a Washington University faculty member from 1946 until his death in 2007. In his time at WashU, he researched a number of areas including optical spectroscopy, which became the new field of magnetic resonance. In this area, he was a renowned pioneer and world-class expert. His groundbreaking studies were initially carried out using home-built spectrometers. A scientist to the core, Weissman did creative research until virtually his last days at the age of 95.
Recent past speakers include Ron Naaman, 2019; Fraser Stoddart, 2018; Ann McDermott, 2017; Michael Turner, 2016; and W.E. Moerner, 2015.
Viktor Hamburger Lecture
April 25: Joshua Sanes, "Cell Types as Building Blocks of Neural Circuits"
Born in Germany, Viktor Hamburger attended the Universities of Breslau, Heidelberg, Munich, and Freiburg. He earned his doctorate in zoology (experimental embryology) in 1925 from the University of Freiburg, where he studied with the renowned biologist and Nobel Laureate, Hans Spemann. As the recipient of a Rockefeller Fellowship in 1932, Dr. Hamburger came to the US, and in 1935 he joined WashU. Known for his pioneering work in experimental embryology, neuroembryology, and the study of programmed cell death, as well as his work on NGF with Rita Levi-Montalcine and Stanley Cohen, Dr. Hamburger served as chairman of the Department of Zoology at WashU from 1941-1966. Though he retired in 1969, he continued his research until the mid-1980s. He passed away in 2001, just short of his 101st birthday.
Past Speakers: Mike Levine, 2019; Eve Marder, 2018; Olivier Pourquié, 2017; Martyn Goulding, 2016; Barbara Meyer, 2015
Looking for more to explore? See all our upcoming events on the Arts & Sciences calendar!
