HOME / RESOURCES / FACULTY / SCIENCE RESEARCH PUBLIC LECTURES /

Harvard Science Book Talks

 

twitter symbol   YouTube button
Harvard Science Book Talks are a collaboration between the Harvard University Division of Science, Cabot Science Library, and Harvard Book Store.

The series features lectures by, and conversations with, authors of recently published books on science-related topics, written with a non-specialist audience in mind. Some of the authors we invite are academics or research scientists, while others are science writers and journalists. We are casting a wide net across areas of human endeavor which are grouped under the aegis of Science. We are interested in the history, philosophy, methodology, and cultures of the various science fields: their triumphs and failures, their controversies, biographies of the people involved, important discoveries, and great feats of human imagination and ingenuity. We are equally interested in in-depth explorations of various topics in a manner that makes science accessible to the curious non-specialist. Our goal is to inform, inspire, entertain, provide food for thought, and encourage audiences to engage in public discourse about science, the role that it can—and does—play in our society, and its potential for furthering human progress.

NEXT TALK: September 30, 2022, @12:00PM
Nick Lane, in conversation with Logan McCarty
"Transformer : The Deep Chemistry of Life and Death"

The talks, held at Harvard Science Center, are followed by a small reception and book signing in Cabot Science Library.  On rare occasions, we may also hold special, ticketed, events in other venues. For more information and to be added to our notification list, please contact us at science_lectures@fas.harvard.edu.

Most talks are recorded: please go over to our YouTube channel or use the links, below.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2022/23
  • October 24, 2022: Peter Fisher, What Is Dark Matter? [info coming soon]
  • October 12, 2022: Temple Grandin, "Visual Thinking : The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions"  - in-person, ticketed event! [more info]
  • October 3, 2022: Jurgen Renn, "The Evolution of Knowledge : Rethinking Science for the Anthropocene" [more info]
  • September 30, 2022: Nick Lane, in conversation with Logan McCarty, "Transformer : The Deep Chemistry of Life and Death" [more info]
  • September 13, 2022: Randall Munroe, in conversation with Jonathan Zittrain, "What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions" - in-person, ticketed event! [more info]
  • September 7, 2022: James Morton Turner, in conversation with Adam Rome, "Charged: A History of Batteries and Lessons for a Clean Energy Future" [more info]

2021/22

2020/21 2019/20 2018/19 2017/18