Speakers

The genetics of brain development, and the impact of mutations that can occur during development, will be the topic of a lecture by Christopher Walsh, Bullard Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development on Thursday, Feb. 16, at 4:10 p.m. His lecture is titled "Human Mental Retardation: Genes that Control the Shape and Size of the Human Brain." Read More

John Ashcroft, whose tenure as U.S. attorney general from 2001 to 2005 included an historic era of safety and security concerns for America following Sept. 11, will speak at Vanderbilt University Monday, Feb. 13, at 8 p.m. in Ingram Hall. Read More

John Ashcroft, whose tenure as U.S. attorney general from 2001 to 2005 included an historic era of safety and security concerns for America following Sept. 11, will speak at Vanderbilt University Monday, Feb. 13, at 8 p.m. in Ingram Hall. Read More

Writer and activist Lucy R. Lippard, a celebrated art critic, theorist and author of more than 20 books on contemporary art and cultural criticism, will present "Common Ground: Arts & Communities" on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at Vanderbilt University as part of the Chancellor's Lecture Series. Read More

Did you hear that Saddam Hussein took a hundred lawyers hostage and said that if his demands aren't met, he'll start releasing them one by one? Read More

It's established that in medieval times spices were such a valued commodity that the business of importing them was the most profitable and dynamic element in European trade. Read More

Jeremy J. Waldron, University Professor of Law and director of the Center for Law and Philosophy at Columbia University, will discuss "The Rule Against Torture as a Legal Archetype" at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 3, at Vanderbilt University Law School. Read More

Hailed as one of the great voices in contemporary literature, Maya Angelou has worn many hats — poet, bestselling author, actress, historian, playwright, civil rights activist, producer and director — and she will share her experiences Monday, Feb. 27, at a public lecture at Vanderbilt University's Memorial Gym. Read More

More than four decades after a national furor over the expulsion of James Lawson from Vanderbilt University, he will return as a Distinguished University Professor for the 2006-07 academic year. Read More

Sociologist and Pulitzer Prize-nominated author Rodney Stark, who debunks the notion that Christianity has held back scientific progress in his new book, will preview a new project about why religions succeed or fail during a lecture series at Vanderbilt University. Read More

James Ransome, illustrator of more than 50 children's books, will deliver the Vanderbilt Peabody College 2006 Martin Luther King Lecture Thursday, Jan. 19 at 2 p.m. His lecture, "A Painterly Palette of My Life," will take place in the Wyatt Center Rotunda and is free and open to the public. Read More

John Douglas, former special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, has hunted some of the most notorious criminals of our time and he will share an inside look during a free public lecture at Vanderbilt University, Thursday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. Read More

Ed Colker, a noted print-maker and book publisher, will address "Modern Arts of the Book," at 4:10 pm. on Jan. 16 in 114 Furman Hall. A reception will follow his illustrated lecture, which will cover many of the major art movements of the 20th century. Read More

Charles Baxter, whose fiction has been described as "a valentine to the Midwest" by The Atlantic, will read from his work on Jan. 30 at Vanderbilt University. Read More

The legacy of entertainer Richard Pryor and history of African American comedy will be explored by Vanderbilt University at two January events sponsored by Vanderbilt's Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center. Read More

Thomas Weisner, an expert on the mental health challenges and needs of teens with disabilities, will deliver the 2006 Vanderbilt Kennedy Center Martin Luther King Jr. lecture Monday, Jan. 16, at 4:10 p.m. in Room 241 of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. The lecture is free and open to the public. Read More

A leading expert on the geographical and social/racial issues that complicate the recovery of New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina will share his unique perspective on the aftermath of the tragedy during a lecture at Vanderbilt University. Read More

A standing-room only crowd of over 700 heard from top federal officials and national academic leaders in mental health and human development about topics such as the history of mental retardation research and treatment, the social nature of autism, the interplay between nature and nurture and the new "Decade of Discovery" in mental health research at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center's 40th Anniversary Symposium Nov. 30. Read More

The role of faith in public discourse will be the topic of a provocative inaugural lecture by the first Robert Penn Warren Professor in the Humanities at Vanderbilt. Read More

John C. Bogle, founder of The Vanguard Group and president of the Bogle Financial Markets Research Center, will speak at Vanderbilt University at noon on Tuesday, Nov. 15, as part of the Owen Graduate School of Management's Distinguished Speaker Series. The event, which will be held in Benton Chapel on the Vanderbilt campus, is free and open to the public. Read More