Professorial Lectures
“Maggots are the Puppies of the Insect World”
Kristi Bugajski, Ph.D. (Department of Biology)
November 6, 2025 4:00-5:00 PM Brown & Gold Room Forensic Entomology uses data derived from insects to assist the criminal justice system. Blow flies (the most beautiful insects) typically arrive…
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“Randomness Everywhere: A Survey of Probability Applications Across Many Disciplines”
Tiffany Kolba, Ph.D. (Department of Mathematics & Statistics)
Random forces impact almost all aspects of the world. While I was originally trained in theoretical probability, this talk will give an overview of my research journey in applying probability…
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“What To Do When Your Story is Slowly Killing You”
Julien Smith, Ph.D. (Christ College)
December 4, 2025 4:00-5:00 PM Brown & Gold Room Lecture Description: TBD
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“The Return to Big Questions in Economics”
Sara Gundersen, Ph.D. (Department of Economics)
Recent econometric innovations have enabled economists to show causality, resulting in a widespread shift to small, answerable questions. In this talk, I argue for the return to big questions using…
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Protecting Our Drinking Water Sources
Zuhdi Aljobeh, Ph.D., P.E. (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering)
Protecting our drinking water sources is a critical component of environmental sustainability and public health. In my presentation, I will focus on the implementation of stormwater best management practices (BMPs),…
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Underpaid, Overperforming: The Untold Story of Women in Executive Roles
Jiangxia (Renee) Liu, Ph.D. (College of Business)
Women hold a small percentage of top executive roles and earn significantly less than men, yet they often outperform their male counterparts. While part of the pay gap can be…
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Nuclear and Particle Physics at Colliders
Adam Gibson-Even, Ph.D. (Department of Physics)
For more than 50 years, enormous particle colliders have addressed fundamental questions in particle and nuclear physics: What are the fundamental constituents of matter? What laws govern it? I will…
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Collaborative Creation: From Commission to Fruition
Stacy Maugans, D.M. (Department of Music)
How does a new work of music come to life? How do performers and composers interact while collaborating on a new musical composition? We will explore the genesis and development…
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The Nature of Nature: Bridging the Social and Natural Sciences Through Geography
Bharath Ganesh Babu, Ph.D. (Department of Geography & Meteorology)
In 1909, Estonian naturalist Jakob von Uexküll proposed that living beings perceive their surroundings in subjective reference frames that he called “Umwelt.” We pattern-seeking and problem-solving humans, however, have pushed…
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Straight Outta Camelot: What King Arthur’s Court Teaches Us aboutBlack Masculinity and Friendship
Richard Sévère, Ph.D. (Department of English)
In the Middle Ages, male friendship bonds played an integral role in constructing one’s social and political identity. The Arthurian court, best known as Camelot, is one of the largest…
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