Roland Fryer - Economist
Thursday, April 10, 08 - PAC Mainstage - 6:30 PM
"Economics of Incentives: What Drives Individuals & Organizations to Make Decisions?"

Although he is only 30 years old, Roland Fryer is already widely recognized as an important figure in the field of economics.  Fortune magazine named him a "Rising Star" and Esquire featured him in its "Genius Issue." His work has been profiled in The New York Times, Washington Post and Boston Globe.  Scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. believes that Fryer will "raise the analysis of the African-American experience to new levels of rigor." Fryer has applied scientific and economic tools to the study of issues such as the black-white achievement gap, consequences of distinctively black names, mixed-race children, color-blind affirmative action and the differing consumption patterns of blacks and whites.

He worked with economist Stephen Levitt and journalist Stephen Dubner on the bestselling book, Freakonomics, a controversial exploration of topics ranging from the American educational system to the Ku Klux Klan, to the impact of abortion on crime statistics.

An Assistant Professor of Economics at Harvard University, Fryer is also associate director of Harvard's W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research and a faculty research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research and Institute for Quantitative Social Science.
             - Fryer Lecture Generously Supported by: Craig & Susan Cole -

A DVD of Fryer's"s talk - is available for viewing in Special Collections section of Western's Wilson Library. Hours: 11am - 4 pm.  M-F  or by appointment. For an appointment call: 360-650-3193. The DVDs are archival only, and can not be checked out of the library.                                                        

Stephen Prothero - World Religions Expert - "Religious Literacy"
Tues., February 12, 2008 - PAC Mainstage - 6:30 PM

According to Stephen Prothero, the United States is one of the most religious nations, and yet it knows very little about religion and that this religious illiteracy is one of our most pressing civic problems.  Prothero is Chair of the Department of Religion at Boston University.

He believes, that most Americans don't know very much about their own religions, and less about the religions of others.  In Religious Literacy, he  argues  why religion must become the "Fourth R" of American education, he calls for our schools to teach mandatory academic study of religions. This has sparked a debate about the powerful and often uncontested role religion plays in our lives.

Prothero's previous book, American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon, is an incisive account of Jesus' transformation, in Americans' hearts and minds, from crucified Lord to folk hero, and from divinity to celebrity. Prothero earned his PhD in Religion from Harvard, and is a specialist in Asian religious traditions in the U.S. He is a frequent guest on NPR, and has appeared on The Today Show, The Daily Show  and The O'Reilly Factor. He has also written for Salon.com and The New York Times Magazine.
A DVD of Prothero"s talk - Religious Literacy is available for viewing in Special Collections section of Western's Wilson Library. Hours: 11am - 4 pm.  M-F  or by appointment. To schedule an appointment call: 360-650-3193. The DVDs are archival only, and can not be checked out of the library.
 

 The  Washington Post  calls Greene
"The single best explainer of abstruse  concepts
 in the world today.”

   Brian Greene - Physicist & String Theorist
   Wed., October 17, 2007 - PAC Mainstage -  Why Science Matters

Brian Greene is a leading physicist and a dynamic communicator of cutting-edge scientific concepts.  His books, The Elegant Universe and The Fabric of the Cosmos, both spent 6 months on The New York Times bestsellers list. The Elegant Universe was a Pulitzer Prize finalist & the' 02 winner of the Aventis Prize for Science Books. Greene was the first physicist to edit The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2006. In his intro., he wrote, “Willful ignorance of science is not okay. We are living through a radical cultural shift, one in which science and technology play a pervasive role in everyday life . . . A scientifically literate public is, increasingly vital.” 

Greene studied at Harvard and was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University. He holds a full professorship in Physics & Mathematics at Columbia University. His research focuses on the quantum mechanical properties of space/ time. In 1990, Greene and a Harvard colleague discovered mirror symmetry, a property of string theory that has launched a field of research in both math & physics. In 1993 & 1995, they discovered topology change. Einstein’s general relativity shows that the fabric of space can stretch in time (resulting in our expanding universe), it doesn't allow the fabric to rip. To contrary: Greene showed in string theory, by including quantum mechanics, the fabric of space can tear, establishing the universe can evolve in more dramatic ways than Einstein envisioned.

Greene hosted a three-part NOVA special The Elegant Universe, which won an Emmy and a '04 Peabody Award for broadcast excellence. He is working with Robert LePage to develop his "Strings and Strings" collaboration with the Emerson Quartet for performances in '08 at Lincoln Center. He is organizing the first annual World Science Festival, a weeklong event that will allow public to explore science, from cutting-edge research to works in theatre, film, and the arts inspired by scientific ideas.

A DVD of Brian Greene's talk - Why Science Matters, & a  DVD of his class discussion, are available for viewing in Special Collections section of Western's Wilson Library. Hours: 11am - 4 pm.  M-F  or by appointment. To schedule an appointment call: 360-650-3193. The DVDs are archival only, and can not be checked out of the library.    

She played national Security Advisor Nancy McNally on The West Wing and co-starred in Presidio Med. She has appeared in -The Human Stain, Philadelphia, Dave, and The American President. The film version of Twilight premiered at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival.  She is author of Letters to a Young Artist:  and Talk to Me: Travels in Media & Politics. A professor at Tisch School of the Arts at NY University she is affiliated with the NYU School of Law, where she teaches a course on The Art of Listening."  Her new play Let Me Down Easy, debuts at the Public Theatre in 2006-2007.
A DVD of Ms. Smith's  performance  is available for viewing in the library's special collections -  m-f - 11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. It is archival only, & cannot be checked out

Edward Tenner is a writer, and consultant on technology/culture. His book "Why Things Bite Back: Technology and the Revenge of Unintended Consequences" is an international bestseller. His recent book, "Our Own Devices: The Past & Future of Body Technology,"  is a history of invention. He believes that an unchecked allegiance to advances in technology has produced unintended consequences.  Dubbed by NPR as “the philosopher of everyday technology,” Tenner looks at how inventions have impacted our world in ways we never intended or imagined.  He illustrates how some things we create have a tendency to bounce back and change us.

Tenner is a visiting scholar at the University of Pennsylvania in the Dept. of History & Sociology of Science and a senior research associate, Center for Study of Invention & Innovation, National Museum of American History. He has contributed essays to many publications including Technology Review, American Heritage of Invention and Technology & Metropolis, and  web publications -  Microsoft Slate, and Forbes.com
 A DVD of Tenner's talk is available for viewing in the library's special collections - m-f - 11 am-4 pm, or by appt. @ 650-3193. DVD is archival only, & can't be checked out

Johnpaul Jones ▪ Architect ▪ Friday, October 7, 2005 
"Stand Inside Our Ways and Beliefs"
 
 Internet Talk Show  Professor Linda Smeins interviewed  Mr. Jones, using questions that were posted to the internet. View an archive of the Talk Show at htttp://pandora.cii.wwu.edu/johnpaul_jones/ 

Johnpaul Jones infused Smithsonian Museum of Native American Indian with "the way of people" Jones, principal of Seattle-based Jones & Jones Architects was the lead architect for the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, D.C. One of 100 American Indian architects in the country, Jones helped lead a movement to diversify Seattle’s architectural and design community in the mid-1980s. He was named a fellow to the American Institute of Architects.

 Jones designs with a strong commitment to the earth. He wins design recognition for heightening our sensitivity to environmental issues and the indigenous cultures of America, paying respect to regional architectural traditions and native landscapes and connecting us to the spirit of place. In the 1970s, Jones' architecture helped alter the direction of zoological design by blending with the landscape and focusing on animals' health, safety, and public education about animals.  His philosophy grew from his Native American heritage, which connects him to the natural world, animal world, sprit world, and human world of his Choctaw/Cherokee ancestors.
His award winning designs include: the Gorilla Habitat at Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo, Tiger River Trail & Tree house at San Diego Zoo, Grassland Habitat Arizona - Sonora Desert Museum, Longhouse Ed. & Cultural Center at the Evergreen State College, The People's Lodge, Seattle, Icicle Creek Music Center, Sleeping Lady Mountain Retreat, Leavenworth and the Hanford Reach National Monument Visitor Center. 
A DVD of Jones'  presentation is available for check out  at western's library

 An Election Year Debate ▪Thursday, Oct. 14, 2004
Two Speakers from Opposite Ends of the Political Spectrum
 John Podhoretz ▪ Conservative Columnist & Author

John Podhoretz is a twice-weekly columnist for the New York Post, a political commentator for the FOX News Channel, a cultural commentator for National Review Online and a contributing editor to the Weekly Standard.  His recent book, Bush Country: How Dubya Became a Great President While Driving Liberals Insane, is a New York Times bestseller.He was co-founder and deputy editor of the Weekly Standard from 1995-1997 before returning to the New York Post as its Editorial Page Editor.  He later served as the paper's arts /features editor before becoming a full-time columnist. 

Mr. Podhoretz has worked at Time, The Washington Times, Insight and U.S. News & World Report.  Early in his career, he was a speechwriter for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush and a special assistant to Drug Czar, William Bennett.  He co-founded the White House Writers Group, a speechwriting and public-relations firm and was the publisher of the Republican Faxwire.  His book, Hell of a Ride: Backstage at the White House Follies 1989-1993 was published in 1999.
A DVD of  Podhoretz's talk  is available  in the library's special Collections m-f - 11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. DVD is archival & cannot be checked out

 Tony Kushner ▪ An Evening with Acclaimed Playwright & Author 
 Thursday, Jan. 29, 2004  ▪ "Only We Who Guard the Mystery Shall Be Unhappy" And 
Interview with Theatre Arts Professor, Jim Lortz 
Tony Kushner, an impassioned voice in contemporary American drama, took the theater world by storm with his epic drama, Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. A 7-hour play in two parts, Millennium Approaches and Perestroika, Angels in America explores what is is like to be gay and affected by AIDS during the '80s & '90s in the U. S. It won a Pulitzer Prize for drama and two Tony Awards for best play.

Brundibar isKushner's most recent book, in collaboration with legendary artist Maurice Sendak.  Published in 2003, it is based on the Czech opera  that was performed by children in Theresienstadt, a Nazi concentration camp.  Kushner's other works include: A Bright Room Called Day, Homebody/Kabul and Slavs!. Kushner is author of many essays published in The Nation, Newsweek, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and The Advocate. A collection of essays, Thinking about the Longstanding Problems of Virtue and Happiness was published in 1997. A new volume, Save Your Democratic Citizen Soul!, was published in 2003.
A video of Kushner's talk is available in the library's Special Collections m-f - 11-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. tape is archival only and cannot be checked out
 

 Russell Banks ▪ Tuesday, October 14, 2003
 A Reading with Acclaimed Author
Internet Talk Show ▪ Mr. Banks answered questions posted via the internet.  Professor Bill Smith  interviewed Mr. Banks, using  the posted questions.  View archived Talk Show at http://pandora.cii.wwu.edu/banks/ 

Novelist and screenwriter, Russell Banks, writes with empathy and compassionate humor that keeps readers afloat through the misadventures and tragedies in his nine novels and four collections of stories. His Continental Drift was a 1986 Pulitzer-Prize finalist and Affliction was short-listed for the PEN/Faulkner Fiction Prize. In 2002, he produced and wrote the screen adaptations for Continental Drift and Rule of the Bone. Affliction and The Sweet Hereafter have been made into critically acclaimed films. HBO developed a three-hour adaptation of Cloudsplitter, Banks’ novel based on the life of abolitionist raider John Brown.

 Banks was raised in New Hampshire “where the winters were endless, and the soil barren, and the houses falling down.” Among many honors, he has received a Guggenheim Fellowship, the O. Henry Prize and the Best American Short Story Award. A graduate of the University of North Carolina, he has most recently taught in the Creative Writing Program at Princeton University.
video's of Bank's talk & "Class Discussion with Russell Banks" are available in the library's Special Collections m-f  11 am-4 pm, or by appt. @  650-3193. tapes are  archival only and cannot be checked out.

Frank Deford ▪ Monday, May 5, 2003 
"Sports: The Hype & the Hypocrisy"
  
Frank Deford, a versatile writer, recently returned to the staff of Sports Illustrated where his byline originally appeared from 1962-1989. He can be heard on  NPR’s Morning Edition and is also a regular correspondent on HBO’s RealSports With Bryant Gumbel. Deford is the author of 13 books, including his recent novel, An American Summer.  His book, Everybody’s All-American was made into a movie as was Alex: The Life of a Child, about his daughter who died of cystic fibrosis.  He wrote the original screenplay for Trading Hearts and, his novel, Casey on the Loose, is being adapted as a Broadway musical. Deford has won both an Emmy and a George Foster Peabody Award. 

Deford received a National Magazine Award for a profile of basketball legend Bill Russell.  Elected to the Hall of Fame of the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters, he has been U.S. Sportswriter of the Year six times. The Washington Journalism Review twice voted him Magazine Writer of the Year.
A video of Deford's talk is available the library's Special Collections  m-f - 11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. tape is archival only and cannot be checked out
 

An Evening  with Lewis Lapham  ▪  Friday,  February 21, 2003

Lewis Lapham is editor of Harper's Magazine and author of "Notebook," a monthly essay in Harper's which won the '95 National Magazine Award for "exhilarating point of view in an age of conformity." His books include: Money & Class in America  Imperial Masquerade, Wish for Kings, Hotel America: Scenes in the Lobby of the Fin-de-Siecle, Waiting for the Barbarians, Lapham's Rules of Influence, & Theater of War.

Educated at Yale and Cambridge, Lewis Lapham worked as a journalist for the San Francisco Examiner and the New York Herald Tribune. He has also written for  Life, Commentary, National Review, The London Observer, American Spectator, New York Times and Wall Street Journal. He hosted and authored a six-part documentary series, "America's Century," broadcast on public television and overseas in 1989. Lapham was also the host and executive editor of "Bookmark," a television series seen on 150 stations between 1989 and 1991
A video of  Lapham's talk is available in the library's special collections m-f -11-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. tape is archival only and cannot be checked out
 

Robert Sapolsky  ▪ Thursday,  October 10, 2002
"Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers: Stress, Disease & Coping "
 
 Robert Sapolsky is a MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, a brain researcher and a stress expert at Stanford University and research associate with the Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya.  Every summer since the ‘70’s, while he was an undergraduate at Harvard, Sapolsky has traveled to Kenya to study Serengeti baboons, whose competitive, stressful society resembles our own. “Baboons live in , complex social groups,” Sapolsky says. “They work maybe four hours a day to feed themselves and have six hours of sunlight to devote to being rotten to each other.  Just like our society…We live well enough to have the luxury to get sick with purely social, psychological stress.”  Sapolsky observes links between baboon’s behavior and their health, and considers why some individuals handle stress better than others.

Sapolsky is a professor of biology & neurology at Stanford where he runs a lab that researches the effects of stress on human health and brain chemistry.  He is the author of A Primate’s Memoir, Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers:  Stress, Disease and Coping, and The Trouble with Testosterone.  He is also a regular contributor to the magazines Discover and The Sciences.
A video of Sapolsky' s talk is available in the library's special collections  m-f - 11 -4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. tape is archival only and cannot be checked out.

 Helen Thomas's White House career began when John F. Kennedy was President-elect and when women still had a limited role in journalism. She covered the presidency for four decades, tendering her resignation in May 2000 during Bill Clinton's presidency. Her hallmark "Thank you, Mr. President," first uttered in 1961, marked the conclusion of every presidential press conference on her watch.  Thomas continues to bring her insightful reports to a worldwide readership. She has chronicled her career in two books, Front Row at the White House and Dateline White House.
A video of Thomas' talk is available in the library's special collections m-f - 11 - 4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. tape is archival only and cannot be checked out

Edward Said ▪ Monday, April 30, 2001 ▪"The Relevance of Humanism"

Edward Said was an accomplished musician, music critic, author, and respected cultural theorist. His work encompasses the richness of music and literature and the politics of culture.

 Said was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Society of Literature, President of the Modern Language Association, and an Honorary Fellow of King's College, Jawaharlal Nehru University in Cairo and the National University of Ireland.  He was a  Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, where he taught since 1963.  In 1992 he attained the rank of University Professor, Columbia's most prestigious academic position. Said also taught at Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and Yale universities. He was fluent in Arabic, English and French.

Said was awarded numerous honorary doctorates from universities around the world and the Wellek Prize of the American Comparative Literature Association. His autobiographical memoir Out of Place won the 1999 New Yorker Prize for non-fiction.

Avideo of  Said's talk is available in the library's special collections m-f - 11 am-4 pm, or by appointment @ 650-3193. tape is archival only and cannot be checked out