Scholar Richard Burkhardt, Ph.D., who specializes in the history of evolutionary theory, will present the Thomas Hall Lecture at 4 p.m. Oct. 25 in Rebstock Hall, Room 215.
Mae C. Jemison, M.D., the first woman of color to travel into space, will deliver the Black Arts & Sciences Festival Lecture at 11 a.m. Oct. 26 in Graham Chapel.
Both talks are part of the Assembly Series.
Burkhardt also specializes in ethology, the study of animal behavior by means of comparative zoological methods. In his talk, “Konrad Lorenz and Niko Tinbergen: The Science and Politics of the Founding of Ethology, 1930-1973,” he will examine the scientific, social and political aspects in the development of ethology as a modern science.
Jemison’s talk, “Exploring the Frontiers of Science and Human Potential,” will focus on her inspirational story. She will discuss the importance of science, education, and the increased participation of women and minorities in science and technology.
Burkhardt’s research focuses on the scientific and social dimensions of animal behavior studies from 1800 to the present and the social and cultural history of zoos.
In his 2005 book, Patterns of Behavior: Konrad Lorenz, Niko Tinbergen, and the Founding of Ethology, he examines the work of these two zoologists who are credited, along with fellow zoologist Karl von Frisch, with revitalizing the science of ethology. Lorenz, Tinbergen and von Frisch shared the 1973 Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine.
Burkhardt earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from Harvard University. He is professor emeritus of history at the University of Illinois, where he taught for three decades.
He has served as chairman of the history department and director of the program in science, technology and society.
He has received fellowships from the National Science Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities and the Guggenheim Foundation. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and past president of the International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology.
A prominent voice for scientific literacy, Jemison was a NASA astronaut for six years. Her historic moment came in 1992, during the space shuttle Endeavour’s STS-47 Spacelab J flight.
She was the science mission specialist, responsible for conducting experiments in life sciences and material sciences.
Jemison has had many other professional roles, including chemical engineer, scientist, physician and teacher. In 1993, she founded The Jemison Group, a technology consulting firm that considers the social, cultural and economic impacts of technologies.
The company’s projects range in scope from implementing cutting-edge technology to providing needed services to developing countries, such as health-care delivery in West Africa.
She entered Stanford University at the age of 16 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and in African and Afro-American studies.
She earned a medical degree from Cornell Medical College and is now the A.D. White Professor-At-Large at Cornell University.
She had received numerous honors, including induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
For more information on the weeklong Black Arts & Sciences Festival, go online to clik.to/abs.
Assembly Series lectures are free and open to the public. For more information, call 935-4620 or go online to assemblyseries.wustl.edu.