Distinguished Lecturer Series Board Site
Nominated Speakers:
Science and Technology
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Neil deGrasse Tyson was born and raised in New York City where he was educated in the public schools through his graduation from the Bronx High School of Science. Tyson went on to earn a BA in Physics from Harvard University and a PhD in Astrophysics from Columbia University.
Dr. Tyson has had a distinguished academic career at University of Maryland, Princeton University, and the American Museum of Natural History. Since 1996, he has been the director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City. He is particularly famous for his involvement in the 2006 decision by the International Astronomical Union to demote Pluto to the dwarf planet classification.
Tyson is the recipient of nineteen honorary doctorates and the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest award given by NASA to a non-government citizen. The U.S. National Academy of Sciences awarded Tyson the Public Welfare Medal in 2015 for his "extraordinary role in exciting the public about the wonders of science".
In addition to dozens of professional publications, Tyson has written many popular books, including most recently Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization.
Tyson is an outstanding communicator of scientific concepts in ways that are understandable to the general public. He has appeared frequently on television, both in serious scientific shows, such as on-camera host and narrator for Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey, the 21st century reboot of Carl Sagan's landmark television series, as well as popular entertainment shows like The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, and The Tonight Show.
Neil deGrasse Tyson lives in New York City with his wife and their two children.
You can watch the complete YouTube video by clicking here.
-- Mike Whiting
Francis Collins
In 1989, the principle that a human gene could be transferred into and expressed by mammalian tissue was proven. Thus the concept of “gene based medicine and vaccines” was established. Now, this is known to all, since it was the technology used to establish the mRNA vaccines.
Unfortunately, in 1989, only a few human genes had been identified. Recognizing this serous problem, Dr Francis Collins, who had been in an adjacent lab at the University of Michigan at the time of the work noted above as well as an important collaborator, convinced the leadership at the National Institutes of Health that all human genes needed to be identified.
Beginning in the early 1990s, he led the sequencing of the human genome from a leadership position at the NIH. This massive project was completed by 2001 and has subsequently allowed the identification of more than 6,000 genes that cause or modify human diseases.
Subsequently, Francis went on to be the longest serving Director of the NIH, retiring from that position last December (2021). He subsequently returned to his NIH lab where he is solving the problem of premature aging.
Francis is not only one of the world’s top scientists, he is a great, even entertaining, public speaker. I have no doubt that he would be wonderful, and very appreciated by the DLS patrons.
I look forward to having an opportunity to discuss his nomination.
You can view the entire YouTube video by clicking here.
-- Bill Kelley
Brad Smith
I nominate Brad Smith who I recently saw give a very effective speech on cybersecurity and disinformation related to Russia and Ukraine
Smith has a law degree from Columbia, was a lawyer at Covington and Burling and in 1993 moved to Microsoft where he rose to President and is now Vice Chairman.
The full video can be seen here.
-- Willem deVogel
Vacliv Smil
I nominate Vaclav Smil as a speaker with a topic on Energy Outlook, Global Energy Outlook, Energy Demand and Technical Advances. He makes very good points about realistic timelines for an energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable alternative energy sources.
Vaclav Smil does interdisciplinary research in the fields of energy, environmental and population change, food production, history of technical innovation, risk assessment, and public policy. He has published more than 40 books and about 500 papers on these topics. He is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Manitoba, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (Science Academy), and a Member of the Order of Canada.
You can view the entire YouTube video by clicking here.
-- David McDonald
Lisa Genova
Lisa Genova (born November 22, 1970) is an American neuroscientist and author.
She self-published her debut novel Still Alice (2007), about a Harvard University professor who suffers early onset Alzheimer's disease. The book gained popularityand was acquired by Simon & Schuster; it was published in January 2009 by Pocket Books (now Gallery Books). There are over 2.6 million copies in print, and it has been translated into 37 languages. It was chosen as one of the thirty titles for World Book Night 2013. The book was adapted into a film in 2014 and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Julianne Moore's highly acclaimed erformance as Alice Howland.
Genova has written fiction about characters dealing with neurological disorders.
Genova graduated valedictorian, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Bates College with a BS degree in biopsychology, and in 1998 she received a PhD in neuroscience from Harvard University.
She did research at Massachusetts General Hospital East, Yale Medical School, McLean Hospital, and the National Institutes of Health. Genova taught neuroanatomy at Harvard Medical School fall 1996.
On April 23, 2015, it was announced that Genova will receive the third annual Pell Center Prize for Story in the Public Square, an award "recognizing a contemporary storyteller whose work has had a significant impact on the public dialogue". The award is bestowed by the Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policyat Salve Regina University.
Genova was also awarded with the Sargent and Eunice Shriver Profiles in Dignity Award, which recognizes individuals whose actions have promoted greater understanding of Alzheimer's and its effects on diagnosed individuals, families and caregivers. She received the Abe Burrows Entertainment Award for the film Still Alice, Global Genes - Fourth Annual RARE Champions of Hope Award, Bates College Sesquicentennial Award and the American College of
Neuropsychopharmacology Media Award for Informing the Public about Treatment and Ongoing Research in Medical Illness.The Alzheimer's Association awarded Genova the Rita Hayworth Award on May 7, 2016.
You can (and likely should! jem) watch Lisa's entire 14:00 minute talk on Alzheimer's and what you can do to prevent it by clicking here.
-- Marybeth Cunningham