Scientia devotes this year's lecture series to the topic of CREATIVITY. While people in the various disciplines at Rice differ in the questions that we ask and the methods we use, what unites us is the creative impulse we bring to our work. This year we call on people from different disciplines to talk about how their imagination works to tackle interesting questions and to pose novel ideas. Scientia anticipates plenty of creativity from its speakers during the 2018-2019 Academic Year.
2018 Fall Lecture Schedule
August 28, 2018, 4pm | McMurtry Auditorium, Duncan Hall
"Imagination: An Inside Look"
Anthony Brandt
Professor and Chair, Composition and Theory, the Shepherd School of Music, Rice University
Featuring:
Samuel Park
Violin
Jacqueline Audas
Violin
Sergein Yep
Viola
Katherine Audas
Cello
Human beings are constantly refashioning their world, leaving no facet of life untouched by imagination. Where does this wellspring of inventiveness come from? Drawing on The Runaway Species: How Humans Remake the World, the book he has co-authored with neuroscientist David Eagleman, Dr. Brandt will explore the biological and social underpinnings of creativity and describe a framework for how new ideas evolve. Knitting together the arts and sciences, Dr. Brandt will illustrate key features of creative thinking using examples from Beethoven string quartets, performed live by students of the Shepherd School of Music.
Video is available here.
October 2, 2018, 4pm | McMurtry Auditorium, Duncan Hall
"Teaching as a Creative Endeavor"
Joshua Eyler
Director, Center for Teaching Excellence, Adjunct Associate Professor, Humanities, Rice University
Much of the discussion about teaching in higher education tends to focus on research and what is quantifiable or measurable. There is good reason for this, of course, but there is an art to great teaching as well. Using examples from faculty and classrooms at Rice, I want to explore the creative work of teaching and the imaginative uses to which we can put our knowledge about student learning.
Video is available here.
November 6, 2018, 4pm | McMurtry Auditorium, Duncan Hall
"What role can the arts play in fostering creative thinking across disciplines?"
Alison Weaver
Executive Director, Moody Center for the Arts, Rice University
In a world seemingly driven by science and technology, the role of the arts is not always clear. What relevance does it have for a 21st century education? Is it an extracurricular activity, or should the arts be central to curricula across disciplines? Drawing on experiments currently taking place at Rice University and the new Moody Center for the Arts, Weaver will explore the potential impact of the arts and creativity in higher education and the contemporary world.
Video is available here.
2019 Spring Lecture Schedule
January 29, 2019, 4pm | McMurtry Auditorium, Duncan Hall
"Food, Art and the Banksy Shredder"
Richard Knight
Executive Chef, Atlas Diner @ Bravery Hall
Food is often compared to art, with some chefs elevated and revered like the great masters. People follow these chefs like disciples, often paying inordinate amounts of money to view, taste and experience this food and be in the presence of these “great” chefs. But is this not just food? A means to fuel our bodies? Food to me is more than that, food is love. A universal language. A bringer of people together in good times and bad. The joy it brings me as it brings joy to others is the holy grail of being a chef. But does this not mean that everytime I send a dish to a customer that I am just sending it to its doom? Time after time, am I just not sending my meticulously crafted “art”, my baby and part of my heart and soul to be put through the “Banksy” shredder?
Video is available here.
February 19, 2019, 4pm | McMurtry Auditorium, Duncan Hall
"Research on employee creativity in the workplace"
Jing Zhou
Mary Gibbs Jones Professor of Management, Area Coordinator, Organizational Behavior Area, Dean’s Senior Advisor on International Affairs, Director for Asian Management Research and Education, Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business, Rice University
Technological advancements are accelerating; customer needs are ever-changing; competition is intensifying; and digital disruption is affecting companies in all industries. More than ever before, companies rely on innovation for sustainable growth and competitive advantage.
At the heart of innovation is people. Both new and established organizations that encourage innovation in their most valuable asset—their employees--are likely to survive, grow, and gain competitive advantage in the dynamic and turbulent business environment. Thus, being able to be innovative should be an important part of every organizational member’s skill set, and being able to recognize and foster innovation in their employees, and translate employee breakthrough ideas into unit and organizational success should be at the very core of each manager’s job.
In this talk, I'll present results obtained from research conducted at the individual, team, and organizational levels, highlighting primary factors that promote and those that restrict employee creativity and innovation.
Video is available here.
BOCHNER LECTURE
March 28, 2019, 4pm | McMurtry Auditorium, Duncan Hall
"Origins of Creativity"
Mark Turner
Institute Professor and Professor of Cognitive Science, Case Western Reserve University
Why are we so creative? Where do new ideas come from? Why are human beings so talented at innovation, leaving other species mentally in the dust? How can here-and-now brains hold new ideas that vault across mental networks of time, space, causation, and agency? This talk will investigate the workings of the mental operations of creativity, with illustrations from language, art, music, religion, mathematical insight, scientific discovery, advanced social cognition, advanced tool invention, fashion, and a range of human singularities.
Video is available here.
April 9, 2019, 4pm | McMurtry Auditorium, Duncan Hall
"Creativity Through Courage: Leaving the Comforts of Your Home Discipline"
Marcia O'Malley
Stanley C. Moore Professor of Mechanical Engineering, of Computer Science, and of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Advisor to the Provost, Rice University.
My research explores physical interactions between humans and robots through the sense of touch, or haptics. There are clear interdisciplinary aspects to this field, including mechanical design, electronics, and even human perception. Yet, it is through collaboration with unlikely partners that we have been able to make the most creative and unexpected advances. This talk will explore the value in stepping out of our comfort zones and exploring the ways that disciplines across the university can influence and shape our problem solving approaches, and the unexpected and exciting creative solutions that can be obtained as a result.
Video is available here.