Sustainability is a complicated and pressing topic that spans many fields and has many implications — personal, social, national and global.
The 2010 MLA Saturday Lecture Series — sponsored by the master of liberal arts program of University College in Arts & Sciences — will explore topics relating to sustainability, a key element in Washington University’s education and research agenda.
“Sustainability,” said Robert E. Wiltenburg, Ph.D., dean of University College, “is exactly the sort of topic — richly ramifying and unmasterable by any single academic discipline — that the MLA program was designed to take on, and we’re delighted to have such distinguished and talented contributors to this year’s series.”
The lectures are free and open to the public, and no registration is required.
The series kicks off Feb. 6 with a keynote address by Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton on “America’s Energy Future: Challenges and Opportunities.” The address begins at 11 a.m. in Brown Hall, Room 100.
All other lectures will be held at 11 a.m. in Goldfarb Auditorium in McDonnell Hall on the Danforth Campus. The schedule:
Feb. 13. “Sustainability: What Does It Mean and Why Should We Care?” Clare Palmer, Ph.D., associate professor of philosophy in Arts & Sciences.
Feb. 20. “Biodiversity and Ecosystem Sustainability,” Jonathan M. Chase, Ph.D., associate professor of biology in Arts & Sciences and director of the Tyson Research Center.
Feb. 27. “Sustainability in the Archaeological Record: What Can We Learn From Past Cultures’ Choices?” Jennifer R. Smith, Ph.D., associate professor of earth and planetary sciences in Arts & Sciences.
For more information, call 935-6700.