Beckman-Brown Lecture on Interdisciplinary Science
Sharing interdisciplinary science
The Annual Beckman-Brown Lecture on Interdisciplinary Science honors Dr. Arnold O. Beckman, the founder of the institute, and Dr. Theodore “Ted” Brown, the founding director. The series is funded by a gift from the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation.
Save the date for the 2021 lecture
Nicholas A. Christakis, the Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Science at Yale University, will give the next Beckman-Brown lecture on Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021. His talk is titled, "Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society." Drawing on advances in social science, evolutionary biology, genetics, neuroscience, and network science, Christakis will discuss how and why evolution has placed us on a humane path — and how we are united by our common humanity.
Previous Beckman-Brown Lectures
2020
Unfortunately, the 2020 lecture was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
2019
"Cognitive Reserve: An Evolving Concept," Yaakov Stern, professor of neuropsychology at Columbia University (Oct. 3, 2019)
2018
"Predictions: Understanding Global Warming," Dr. Michael Mann, director of the Penn State Earth System Science Center (Oct. 15, 2018)
2017
"Surface Glycans as Cellular IDs," Dr. Laura Kiessling, Department of Chemistry, MIT (Nov. 3, 2017)
2016
"Enzymes by Evolution: Expanding the Scope of Biocatalysis," Dr. Frances Arnold, Dick and Barbara Dickinson Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering and Biochemistry and director of the Donna and Benjamin M. Rosen Bioengineering Center at California Institute of Technology (Sept. 19, 2016)