The theme for the Fall 2008 Dr. Bruce J. Nelson '74 Distinguished Speaker Series is “Biology and the Environment: Past, Present and Future.” The Nelson speakers will investigate the impact of humans and other biological species upon the natural world over the course of history.

Lectures are free and open to the public and held in Galileo Hall on the Harvey Mudd College campus. Each talk is followed by a dessert reception.

For more information, please call (909) 607-7862.

Wednesday, Oct. 8, 7:30 p.m.
"Brave New Ocean"
Jeremy Jackson
William E. and Mary B. Ritter Professor, Scripps Institution of Oceanography and senior scientist, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Jeremy Jackson, author of more than 100 scientific publications and five books, currently researches the long-term impacts of human activities on the oceans, coral reef ecology, and the ecological and evolutionary consequences of the gradual formation of the Isthmus of Panama. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a recipient of numerous prizes and honorary degrees, including the Secretary's Gold Medal for Exceptional Service of the Smithsonian Institution in 1997, the UCSD Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Science and Engineering in 2002, and the International Award for Research in Ecology and Conservation Biology of the BBVA Foundation in 2007.

Thursday, Oct. 23, 7:30 p.m.
"Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed"
Jared Diamond
Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Guns, Germs and Steel" (1998) and professor, department of geography, UCLA

The huge crowds that attend Jared Diamond's talks are testament to his reputation as a great speaker—to his ability to spellbind an audience with insights into the most important issues we face. Listeners walk away with a deeper and more nuanced view of the development of human civilization and the continued gulf between rich and poor in the global community. Diamond has received some of the world’s most prestigious awards, including a MacArthur Foundation genius grant, the Conservation medals of the Zoological Society of San Diego and the National Medal of Science, America’s highest civilian award in science.

This lecture is supported in part by HMC's Walter and Leonore Annenberg Fund for Leadership Development.

Wednesday, Nov. 19, 7:30 p.m.
"Solving the Climate and Energy Problem"
Stephen W. Pacala
Petrie Professor of Biology and director, Princeton Environmental Institute

Stephen Pacala, who was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2007, began his research career as an undergraduate, doing field work and statistical analysis on bird communities in New England forests. His doctoral work examined competition in West Indian lizard communities and included both field experiments and mathematical modeling. He has authored and co-authored more than 100 scientific publications on diverse ecological subjects, including modeling the global carbon budget, spatial ecology of plant communities, and interspecific competition involving plants, coral reef fishes, and lizards. His current research interests include building mathematical models that use the physiological characteristics of individual plants to derive ecosystem-level properties such as removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Wednesday, Dec. 3, 7:30 p.m.
"Life on a Young Planet"
Andrew Knoll
Fisher Professor of Natural History, Harvard University

Andrew Knoll’s research focuses on the early evolution of life, Precambrian environmental history, and, especially, the interconnections between the two. A number of significant paleontological discoveries have been made in his lab. Knoll, currently a member of the science team for NASA’s MER mission to Mars, has served on the board of the National Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian Institution), the United States Board of Earth Science and Resources, the U.S. Space Science Board and the Advisory Council of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. Recipient of a number of awards and honors, Knoll is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.