Energy, Economics, and Ethics
John H. Marburger, III, a professor in the departments of Physics and
Electrical Engineering at Stony Brook and the third President of Stony Brook University (1980-1994), served as Science Advisor to the President and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) during the Bush Administration (2001-2009). Serving during a time of deep political and ideological divisions, especially regarding climate change and human embryonic stem cell research, Marburger brought high standards of fairness and objectivity to the science policy process, and launched a movement to strengthen the "science of science policy" that achieved international recognition. Prior to his federal service, he was Director of Brookhaven National Laboratory from 1998. Professor Marburger's current research centers on physical systems that display quantum properties of possible importance in a future quantum information technology. Co-sponsored by Brookhaven National Laboratory and Long Island Forum on Energy. Read abstract »

Monday, November 9, 2009, 4:00 pm, Student Activities Center, Ballroom B

The Call of Humility in an Age of Ambition
Dr. Arthur Schwartz is Executive Vice President at the John Templeton Foundation. Prior to joining the Foundation, Dr. Schwartz taught at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and served for several years as director of dropout prevention programs for the School District of Philadelphia. In 1990, his work to reduce school dropout rates was recognized at a White House ceremony hosted by President Bush. Since 1992, Dr. Schwartz has focused his research on adolescent moral and spiritual development. He has delivered papers at numerous national conferences, and his articles have appeared in the Harvard Educational Review, Journal of Moral Education, and The Chronicle of Higher Education, among other publications. He recently wrote the lead chapter in the Hoover Institution volume Bringing in a New Era in Character Education. Read abstract » Co-sponsored by Stony Brook's Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics.

Monday, December 14, 4:00 pm, Student Activities Center Auditorium

The World Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water
Maude Barlow is the National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians and Senior Advisor on Water to the President of the United Nations General Assembly. She also chairs the board of Washington-based Food and Water Watch and is a Councillor with the Hamburg-based World Future Council. Maude is the recipient of eight honorary doctorates as well as many awards, including the 2005 Right Livelihood Award (known as the “Alternative Nobel”), the Citation of Lifetime Achievement at the 2008 Canadian Environment Awards, and the 2009 Earth Day Canada Outstanding Environmental Achievement Award. She is also the best-selling author or co-author of 16 books, including the recently released Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and The Coming Battle for the Right to Water. Co-sponsored by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Stony Brook University. Read abstract »   View video »

Thursday, October 29, 2009, 4:00 pm, Student Activities Center Auditorium

Disability and Bioethics: Can Controversies Be Resolved?
Adrienne Asch is the Director of the Center for Ethics at Yeshiva University, where she holds appointments at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Wurzweiler School of Social Work. Her work focuses on ethical issues in reproduction, death and dying, and justice for disadvantaged minorities in American society. She is a member of the NY State Task Force on Life and the Law, board member of the Society for Jewish Ethics, the Academic Coalition for Jewish Bioethics, and the American Civil Liberties Union. She is also a Fellow of the Hastings Center and of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. She has authored numerous articles and book chapters, and is the co-editor of Prenatal Testing and Disability Rights and The Double-Edged Helix: Social Implications of Genetics in a Diverse Society. Read abstract » Co-sponsored by Stony Brook's Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009, 2:30 pm, Student Activities Center, Ballroom A