Special Lectures
by Wellesley Faculty
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Description
Wellesley faculty not only lecture for their courses, but also occasionally prepare special talks for alumnae, prospective students, and other audiences.
| Name | Description | Released | Price | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PDF-Color Consilience: Visual Processing and Visual Thought | Bevil Conway, Neuroscience, argues that paintings can be interpreted as the product of the complex neural machinery that translates physical light signals into behavior, experience and emotion. By closely examining artists’ practices, we can discover hints to how the brain works, and achieve insight into the discoveries and inventions of artists and their impact on culture. In the context of neural and philosophical considerations of color, Conway argues that the practices of three modern masters (Henri Matisse, Paul Cézanne and Claude Monet) not only capitalized on the neural mechanisms of color, but also influenced the trajectory of western art history. | 5/8/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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2 |
Audio-Color Consilience: Visual Processing and Visual Art | Bevil Conway, Neuroscience, argues that paintings can be interpreted as the product of the complex neural machinery that translates physical light signals into behavior, experience and emotion. By closely examining artists’ practices, we can discover hints to how the brain works, and achieve insight into the discoveries and inventions of artists and their impact on culture. In the context of neural and philosophical considerations of color, Conway argues that the practices of three modern masters (Henri Matisse, Paul Cézanne and Claude Monet) not only capitalized on the neural mechanisms of color, but also influenced the trajectory of western art history. | 5/8/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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3 |
How Cancer Changed My Life... and Didn't | Ann Velenchik, Director of the Writing Program and Associate Professor of Economics, talks to the students of Alpha Phi Sigma, the Wellesley College Lecture Society about how having leukemia did and did not change her life. She addresses themes of fragility and resilience, and surrender and liberation. | 3/21/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 4 | PDF - Language & Thought: Insights from the Study of Sign Languages | Jennie Pyers (Psychology) shows how the study of deaf signers can clarify our understanding of the ways in which language and cognition interact. These slides accompany the recording of her lecture, also available on iTunes U. Studies with speakers of spoken languages have demonstrated some relationship between Ianguage and cognitive ability. In this talk, Jennie presents studies with learners of an emerging sign language in Nicaragua, fluent signers of American Sign Language, and children acquiring a sign language to argue that some aspects of human cognition are crucially dependent on learning a language, signed or spoken, and that other aspects are uniquely shaped by learning a sign language. | 3/12/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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5 |
Audio - Language & Thought: Insights from the Study of Sign Languages | Jennie Pyers (Psychology) shows how the study of deaf signers can clarify our understanding of the ways in which language and cognition interact. Please download the accompanying PDF (also on iTunes U) to see the slides of her presentation. Studies with speakers of spoken languages have demonstrated some relationship between Ianguage and cognitive ability. In this talk, Jennie presents studies with learners of an emerging sign language in Nicaragua, fluent signers of American Sign Language, and children acquiring a sign language to argue that some aspects of human cognition are crucially dependent on learning a language, signed or spoken, and that other aspects are uniquely shaped by learning a sign language. | 3/12/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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6 |
Is language learning aided by an innate mechanism? | Angela Carpenter discusses her linguistics research. Theories of linguistics differ on whether speakers have innate knowledge of linguistic universals or whether generalizations are the product of non-linguistic systems. By studying speakers' ability to learn patterns which occur in natural language versus those patterns which do not, Carpenter found a bias towards naturalness and argued that language learning utilizes an interaction between general and language-specific cognitive mechanisms. | 11/11/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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7 |
Protein-Lipid Interactions: A Key to Membrane Protein Function | Don Elmore discusses membrane proteins, which provide an essential link between the inside of cells and their surroundings. The function of these proteins is impacted by their interactions with the lipid molecules that make up membranes of cells. Elmore discusses how his lab combines computational and experimental approaches to investigate these critical protein-lipid interactions. In particular, the talk focuses on the role of lipid interactions in the gating of mechanosensitive ion channels and the ability of antimicrobial peptides to translocate across cell membranes. | 10/12/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 8 | Protein-Lipid Interactions: A Key to Membrane Protein Function | Don Elmore discusses membrane proteins, which provide an essential link between the inside of cells and their surroundings. The function of these proteins is impacted by their interactions with the lipid molecules that make up membranes of cells. Elmore discusses how his lab combines computational and experimental approaches to investigate these critical protein-lipid interactions. In particular, the talk focuses on the role of lipid interactions in the gating of mechanosensitive ion channels and the ability of antimicrobial peptides to translocate across cell membranes. This document shows the slides used during the presentation, which is available to download as audio. | 10/12/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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9 |
User Interfaces for Collaborative Discovery | Orit Shaer describes her research developing interaction techniques and software tools for next generation user interfaces. Over the past two decades, Human-Computer Interaction research has generated a broad range of interaction styles that move beyond the desktop into new physical and social contexts. Key areas of innovation in this respect include tabletops, tangible, and embodied user interfaces. These interaction styles leverage users' existing knowledge and skills of interaction with the real non-digital world, thus are often referred to as reality-based interfaces. By drawing on exisiting skills, reality-based interfaces offer the promise of a natural, intuitive, and often collaborative form of interaction. In this talk we will examine the impact of applying reality-based interaction to enhance collaborative discovery and learning. | 4/21/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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10 |
Crisis in Japan: Land, Sea, and Nuclear Energy | Jim Besancon and Kathy Moon explore causes, effects, and potential outcomes of the recent events in Japan. The clash of Earth's upheaval with human settlement calls for an analysis that crosses disciplines. Jim Besancon, associate professor of geosciences, and Katharine Moon, Edith Stix Wasserman Professor of Political Science and director of Wellesley's East Asian Studies Program, share their expertise on the subject briefly before the discussion is opened up for audience questions and comments. | 4/4/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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11 |
Fossil human dispersal from Africa and evolution patterns in the Pleistocene | Adam Van Arsdale discusses how genomes from extinct populations of archaic humans - “Neandertals” and “Denisovans” - have provided new complexity to our understanding of the origins of contemporary humans. The evolutionary processes that have shaped humans reflect a pattern that extends to the beginning of our genus, Homo, two million years ago. This talk examines the role of on-going research at the Lower Paleolithic site of Dmanisi, Georgia, for our understanding of Pleistocene human evolution, and the expanded, dynamic adaptive niche associated with the emergence and dispersal of early Homo. | 3/18/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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12 |
Mechanisms of Plant Invasion | Nonnative plant invasions can present substantial environmental challenges that demand our attention, but they also offer tremendous opportunities to examine fundemental ecological questions. Why do some plants dominate here and not there? Why do most invasions fail while others become spectacularly successful? This research examines several aspects of the invasion ecology of Bromus tectorum ('cheatgrass') at different biological, spatial, and temporal scales. | 3/18/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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13 |
Escaping Melodramas: Reflections on Historical Events, Government Apologies, and Public Outcries | Susan Reverby discusses her research on the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study (1932-72) and the immoral government medical study in Guatemala in the late 1940s where men and women were given syphilis. She explores the ways in which melodramatic responses both help us understand what happened and hinder our understandings. | 3/1/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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14 |
Saturn and its Rings: Solar System Exploration in the 21st Century | Richard French is an instrument team leader for NASA's highly successful ongoing Cassini mission to Saturn. He takes you behind the scenes of modern rocket science. He presents some of the highlights of the mission and describes how he and his Team Cassini students are investigating the dynamics of Saturn's rings and the atmospheric structure of Saturn and its largest moon, Titan. | 2/8/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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15 |
Approximating Irrational Numbers | Alex Diesl, mathematics professor at Wellesley College, looks beyond the standard decimal representation and sees how mathematics can help us to best approximate our favorite numbers. | 12/8/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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16 |
The Midterm Election - What Happened, Why, and What Next? | Marion Just and Tom Burke, two Political Science professors well-versed in American electoral politics, discuss the 2010 midterm election results and what it means for the 112th Congress and the Obama presidency. | 11/12/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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17 |
Avalonian Odyssey: Paleomagnetic Constraints on the Drift History of Southeastern New England | Meg Thompson discusses Avalonia, the tectonic belt stretching from the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland and through Atlantic Canada to southeastern New England. She speaks about how Avalonia was not part of North America when its rock sequences formed 600-700 million years ago. Magnetic signatures acquired when igneous rocks in these sequences cooled from molten magma provide the principal means for establishing Avalonia's original geographic position and its subsequent convergence with North America. | 10/25/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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18 |
TestMyBrain.org - Studying the Mind via the Web | Jeremy Wilmer asks what are the strengths, weaknesses, and limits of what can be tested on the web? | 10/7/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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19 |
Current State of the former Soviet Union | Nathalie Rouland - Russia & Contemporary Performing Arts; Adam Van Arsdale - Reflections on Georgia; Ivan Arreguin-Toft - Russian miltary reform; Nina Tumarkin- Legacy of Soviet Past; Marshall Goldman- Summer 2010 heat wave. | 9/28/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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20 |
The Nuclear Challenge: Nuclear Energy for the Generation of Electricity | Should the U.S. generate more nuclear energy? Nancy Kolodny argues "yes", describing the current consumption of energy, how nuclear power is produced, other fuel sources, and the barriers to increasing the use of nuclear energy. | 6/28/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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21 |
Reconsidering Retirement: How Losses and Layoffs Affect Older Workers | Phil Levine notes that recent economic events call into question the ability of older workers to get by in retirement. He examines the factors behind workers who cannot afford to retire and those who will be forced to do so due to a weakened labor market. | 6/14/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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22 |
The U.S. Supreme Court After Justice Stevens: What is Next? | Lynne Viti outlines Cass Sunstein's four categories of judicial thought: fundamentalism/originalism, perfectionism, majoritarianism, and minimalism She then explains how these categories come into play in 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court decisions. | 6/14/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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23 |
Parkinson's Disease - the role of the protein alpha-synuclein | Parkinson's Disease is characterized by selective loss of dopamine-producing neurons. Aggregation of alpha-synuclein is thought to be a key causative event. Julia reviews efforts in her lab to identify aggregation-prone regions of this protein. | 5/7/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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24 |
Wellesley Poets Celebrate Sappho | Four Wellesley College professors read poems in honor of the Ancient Greek poet Sappho: Marjorie Agosin (Spanish); Dan Chiasson (English); Liz Young (Classical Studies); and Ifeanyi Menkiti (Philosophy). | 4/16/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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25 |
Energy Costs of Animal Locomotion | Locomotion is energetically expensive. For many animals, daily energy budgets are dominated by the costs of fueling their muscles. David explores the performance limits and efficiency of locomotor systems in fish, guinea fowl, and other animals. | 3/11/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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26 |
Remote sensing and the evolution of New England salt marshes | GIS-based geomorphologic analyses of the distribution of marsh features at the Great Marsh, MA, study area quantitatively support qualitative field observations. Process-driven models will be increasingly important as sea-levels rise. | 2/22/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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27 |
The Infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study | Susan Reverby discusses her book Examing Tuskegee, focusing on myths about the study, how scientific knowledge about syphilis matters, why the study has become a metaphor for medical racism and mistrust, and why it continues to be so culturally powerful. | 2/17/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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28 |
Political Theory and Islamic Political Thought | Roxanne Euben discusses how and why she came to study political theory and Islamic political thought, and how the events of 9/11 changed the context for, and the reception of, her work on Islamist political thought. | 2/11/10 | Free | View In iTunes |
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29 |
Neuronal assembly lines in the adult brain | Barbara Beltz notes how new nerve cells are generated in the brains of many adult organisms, including humans. Adult-born neurons appear to play a role in learning and memory. The Beltz lab has been using the crustacean brain to explore the process of adult neurogenesis. | 12/21/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 30 | Video(Video) Chip Case's Last Class - Macroeconomics | -- | 12/17/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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31 |
When Isotopes Matter: Self-shielding and Fractionation | -- | 12/7/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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32 |
How Wise am I, and Does It Matter? | -- | 11/19/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 33 | The Great Recession - Eric Hilt slides | -- | 11/17/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 34 | The Great Recession - Olga Shurchkov slides | -- | 11/13/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 35 | The Great Recession - Joseph Joyce Slides | -- | 11/13/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 36 | The Great Recession - Akila Weerapana slides | -- | 11/13/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 37 | The Great Recession - Phil Levine slides | -- | 11/13/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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38 |
The Great Recession: Back from the Edge or Off the Cliff Again? | -- | 11/5/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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39 |
Is Medicine a Science, an Art, or Something Else? | -- | 10/30/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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40 |
Organic Food vs. Frankenfood: Why We Ignore What Science Tells Us | -- | 10/27/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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41 |
Ardipithecus: Human Evolution takes a step back | -- | 10/22/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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42 |
Russia Now | -- | 10/6/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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43 |
An Analytical Chemist's Life: Using tools to probe chemical systems | -- | 10/5/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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44 |
Web Science: Understanding the Web | Panagiotis "Takis" Metaxas, Professor of Computer Science, explains the origins of the Web and the history of search engines. He sees the Web as a technical construct, a social phenomenon, and a growing organism. | 9/14/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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45 |
Economic History, the Housing Bubble, and the Global Economic Crisis | -- | 6/30/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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46 |
Molecular Matchmaking: Computation in Drug Design & Analysis | -- | 6/9/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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47 |
The Poetry Does Not Matter | -- | 4/24/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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48 |
Imaginary Companions in Early Childhood | Tracy Gleason discusses the implications of imaginary companions for psychological functioning. The social world of many young children is populated by a host of imaginary companions which can tell us about the formation of relationship concepts. | 4/22/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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49 |
Environmental Policy--Politics, Ethics, and Science | -- | 4/9/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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50 |
Microbes and heavy metals: resistance and bioremediation | -- | 4/7/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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51 |
Antimicrobial Peptides | -- | 4/1/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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52 |
Co-Ed Wellesley or Single Sex: The 1971 Commission on the Future of the College | -- | 3/16/09 | Free | View In iTunes |
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53 |
Magma Bodies & Explosive Volcanoes | -- | 11/26/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
| 54 | Video(Video) Causes and Consequences of the 2008 Economic Crisis | -- | 11/17/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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55 |
Making the Bionic Woman: Biomaterials | -- | 11/5/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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56 |
Causes and Consequences of the 2008 Economic Crisis | -- | 10/23/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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57 |
Effects of climate change on birds of the Northeast | -- | 10/17/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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58 |
Quantum Mechanics | -- | 10/8/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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59 |
Getting Medieval: What to Do About the Missing Millennium | -- | 10/7/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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60 |
How to complete your degree in one semester (not!) | -- | 9/16/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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61 |
Russia vs. Georgia: Crisis in the Caucasus | -- | 9/8/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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62 |
Steroid Hormone Action in Brain | -- | 5/16/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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63 |
Doing mathematics--spaces of special curvature | -- | 4/18/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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64 |
Feminist Ecological Economics | -- | 4/11/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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65 |
Defensive Pessimism: Cheering me up will pull me down | -- | 3/27/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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66 |
Thinking about Human Rights during the Iraq War | -- | 3/24/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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67 |
Medical Geology | -- | 3/19/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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68 |
Searching for Genes in a Genome | -- | 2/4/08 | Free | View In iTunes |
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69 |
God Needs No Passport: Immigrants & the Changing American Religious Landscape | -- | 12/7/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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70 |
Starved for Science: How Rich Countries are Keeping Agricultural Science out of Africa | -- | 11/8/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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71 |
Academic Fraud: Fictions and Fantasies | -- | 7/23/07 | Free | View In iTunes |
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72 |
Unruly Sounds-Music in Theory and Practice | Martin Brody discusses a Beatles song to examine the study of music as a liberal art. | 12/11/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
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73 |
Girls' Schooling in the Developing World | Economist Ann Velenchik focuses on one of the key Millenium Development Goals -- ensuring that, by 2015, boys and girls alike will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling. She notes how women spend money differently than men, and how educated women have fewer children, more widely spaced children, and healthier children. | 11/20/06 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 73 Episodes |
