Lecture Preview
Title: Journeys Lecture — Marilyn Taft Thomas, “Living Life with a Purple Crayon”
The Basics: Marilyn Taft Thomas, Carnegie Mellon professor of music, will discuss the methods she has used to cope with challenges throughout her life. Thomas was the first woman to receive a Ph.D. in composition from the University of Pittsburgh. She joined the faculty of Carnegie Mellon in 1981, and served as head of the School of Music from 1988 to 1996. She currently teaches theory and composition and is the president of the executive board for the Andrew Carnegie Society. She is a recipient of the Henry Hornbostel Teaching Award and the Stolarevsky Lifetime Achievement Award by the McKeesport Symphony Society.
When: Today at 4:30 p.m.
Where: Adamson Wing (Baker Hall 136A)
Title: Computational Thinking Seminar — “Computational Thinking in Music”
The Basics: Noel Zahler, head of the School of Music, will discuss some of the most common areas of music in which computational thinking is used and the functions such technology serves. He will also speak about his work in building compositional tools and synthetic performers. The discussion will include how these tools have affected the process of musical thought and analysis of performance practice and, consequently, his work as a composer and music teacher.
When: Tuesday at 2:30 p.m.
Where: Newell-Simon Hall 3305
Title: Science Libraries Book Discussion — “The Future of the Internet and How to Stop It”
The Basics: Donna Beck, engineering librarian at Carnegie Mellon, will lead a discussion on Jonathan Zittrain's e-book, The Future of the Internet and How to Stop It (Yale University Press, 2008). In his book, Zittrain argues that the Internet has brought about changes in security that result in new forms of highly centralized control and monitoring of our daily lives, often by sources thousands of miles away. Zittrain offers several methods by which to solve the problem by developing new technologies and social structures, such as Wikipedia, that will transfer power from a small group of manufacturers and their partners and allow users to create and collaborate with each other.
When: Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.
Where: Maggie Murph Café, Hunt Library
Title: Global Politics and the American Presidency Lecture Series — “How Race Affected the Presidential Election”
The Basics: Marcus Mabry, International Business Editor for The New York Times, will discuss the effects of race on the presidential election. Mabry directs the Times' coverage of international news for the paper’s Business Day section and manages the section’s foreign correspondents. He is the author of Twice As Good: Condoleezza Rice and Her Path to Power (Modern Times, 2007) and of the memoir, White Bucks and Black-Eyed Peas: Coming of Age Black in White America (Scribners, 1995).
When: Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
Where: Porter Hall 100 (Gregg Hall)
Title: University Lecture Series and School of Art Lecture Series — “Big Box Reuse”
The Basics: Julia Christensen, the Henry R. Luce Professor of the Emerging Arts at Oberlin College, will discuss her exhibition, “Your Town, Inc.,” at the Miller Gallery and her book, Big Box Reuse (MIT Press, 2008), in which she explains how communities are renovating abandoned Wal-Mart and Kmart stores for community-based causes. Christensen’s work has been shown recently at the Lincoln Center, DUMBO Arts Center, and Walker Art Center.
When: Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
Where: Regina Gouger Miller Gallery, second floor