2012-2013 Theme - "The Power of Ideas"
Ideas - and the various processes of inventing, developing, critiquing, testing, transforming, rebutting, transmitting, and implementing them - are the heart and soul of the university. Each of this year's Scientia colloquia will present a set of 5-minute talks by faculty on the ideas that have most powerfully influenced and engaged them in their career and intellectual life.
COLLOQUIUM
Tuesday, 9 April, 4:00 PM
Ray Courtyard, Rice Student Center*
(reception after colloquium)
"The Power of Ideas"
Devika Subramanian
Professor, Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering
"Computational Thinking"
What is computational thinking and why is it important for all of our students? I will describe what I learned by designing and fielding a first course in computational thinking at Rice from 2008 to 2012.
Richard R. Batsell
Associate Professor of Marketing
"Modeling Individual Choice Behavior"
When modeling choice behavior, the precision and clarity introduced by mathematics adds great value. Three stories of cross-disciplinary collaboration will illustrate the point.
Lora Wildenthal
Associate Professor and Chair, History Department
"Gender"
Since the 1980s, the concept of gender has spread rapidly through humanities scholarship. Why? It has traveled far over a short
period of time, but has it "arrived"? And how would we know?
Rick K. Wilson
Herbert S. Autrey Professor of Political Science
"The Beauty Premium and the Beauty Penalty"
Why should we be so enamored with beauty and does it matter? Humans quickly identify beauty in others and often reward it. Yet beauty is not without a penalty and sometimes beautiful people are punished. I talk about the consequences of our fascination with beauty in others.
Lectures are free and open to the public
*In case of inclement weather, colloquium will take place in McMurtry Auditorium
CONFERENCE
“Space Exploration and Human Imagination: Space Futures"
April 11-12, 2013
A conference exploring the impact of space exploration on humanity’s self-perception. This conference will examine how our growing understanding of the Universe is changing our perceptions of humanity, what the societal and cultural implications are of the expansion of human presence in space, and how the culture of space exploration is changing. Leading experts will discuss these aspects through a series of lectures and Q&A.
For additional information, please visit: rsi.rice.edu/
Generously Supported by the De Lange Conference Endowment
|
Follow Us On Twitter 
Spring 2013 Speakers:
THE BOCHNER LECTURE
Tuesday, January 29, 7:00 PM
McMurtry Auditorium, Duncan Hall
“Zionism, America, and the Creation of the State of Israel”
Allen J. Matusow, PhD
Academic Affairs Director at the Baker Institute for Public Policy and William Gaines Twyman Professor of History, Rice University
COLLOQUIA – “The Power of Ideas”
Tuesday, 22 January, 4:00 PM
McMurtry Auditorium, Duncan Hall*
“Mechanobiology”
K. Jane Grande-Allen, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Bioengineering
“Mind, Brain & Reality”
James Pomerantz, PhD
Professor, Department of Psychology
“The Love of Wisdom and the Wisdom of Love”
Marcia G. Brennan, PhD
Associate Professor, Religious Studies and Art History
“Saying Goodbye to Rube Goldberg”
Yousif Shamoo, PhD
Professor, Biochemistry and Cell Biology
Tuesday, 12 February, 4:00 PM
McMurtry Auditorium, Duncan Hall*
“Atoms of Thought”
Steven J. Cox, PhD
Professor, Computational and Applied Mathematics
“Discriminated Against”
Michelle Hebl, PhD
Professor, Psychology and Management
“Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Unfinished Ethics”
Matthias Henze, PhD
Watt J. & Lilly G. Jackson Professor in Biblical Studies
“Life is Incredible”
Janet Braam, PhD
Chair and Professor, Biochemistry & Cell Biology
Tuesday, 12 March, 4:00 PM
Ray Courtyard, Rice Student Center**
“Symmetries”
Marjorie Corcoran, PhD
Professor, Physics and Astronomy
“Who's Eating Who”
Evan H. Siemann, PhD
Professor and Department Chair, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
“Standpoint”
Rosemary Hennessy, PhD
Professor, English and Director, Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality
“The Villain”
Farès el-Dahdah, PhD
Professor, Architecture and Director, Humanities Research Center
Tuesday, 9 April, 4:00 PM
Ray Courtyard, Rice Student Center**
“Modeling Individual Choice Behavior”
Richard R. Batsell, PhD
Associate Professor of Marketing
“Computational Thinking”
Devika Subramanian, PhD
Professor, Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering
“the Beauty Premium and the Beauty Penalty”
Rick K. Wilson, PhD
Herbert S. Autrey Professor of Political Science
“Gender”
Lora Wildenthal, PhD
Associate Professor and Chair, History Department
Reception after each event.
*If weather permits, the colloquium will be held outside in Ray Courtyard, Rice Student Center
**In case of inclement weather, colloquium will take place in McMurtry Auditorium
Fall 2012 Speakers:
Tuesday, 18 September, 4:00 PM
Ray Courtyard, Rice Student Center
“Social Capital and Finance”
Mahmoud Amin El-Gamal, PhD
Professor of Economics and Statistics and Chair of Islamic Economics, Finance and Management
“Super”
Sarah Whiting, PhD
Dean and William Ward Watkin Professor of Architecture
School of Architecture
“Why Minds Need Art”
Anthony Brandt, PhD
Associate Professor of Composition and Theory
Shepherd School of Music
“Innovation Fallout”
Naomi Halas, PhD
Stanley C. Moore Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Director, Laboratory for Nanophotonics
Friday, 12 October, 4:00 PM
Brochstein Pavilion Garden
“Mt. Fuji and Me”
John H. Zammito, PhD
John Antony Weir Professor of History
“I Didn’t Do This By Myself”
Robert F. Curl, PhD
Kenneth S. Pitzer-Schlumberger Professor of Natural Sciences
Emeritus and University Professor Emeritus
“Local:Global = David:Goliath”
Elizabeth Long, PhD
Professor of Sociology and Department Chair
“Getting to Know President Lovett”
John B. Boles, PhD
William P. Hobby Professor of History
Editor, Journal of Southern History
“Learning to Swim”
Rebecca Richards-Kortum, PhD
Stanley C. Moore Professor of Bioengineering and Chair, Department of Bioengineering
“Turrell with Music”
Robert Yekovich, D.M.A.
Dean, Shepherd School of Music and Elma Schneider Professor of Music
Tuesday, 13 November, 4:00 PM
Ray Courtyard, Rice Student Center
“The Pursuit for Total Control”
Thomas Killian, PhD
Professor of Physics and Astronomy and Department Chair
“Risk”
Elaine Howard Ecklund, PhD
Associate Professor of Sociology and Director, Religion & Public Life Program
“Thinking with History”
Paula A. Sanders, PhD
Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies; Professor of History
“Numerate Citizenship”
Mark Embree, PhD
Professor of Computational and Applied Mathematics and Director of the Rice Center for Engineering Leadership
Reception after each event
|
