Thought Leaders on Campus

Tami C. Bond

In 2017, Clarkson welcomed experts from a range of fields to the Potsdam and Capital Region campuses for lectures and discussions on contemporary issues, challenges and opportunities affecting the world, including energy, climate change, food production, robotics, entrepreneurship and digital technology.

General Ellen M. Pawlikowski Jeffrey R. Immelt

Honorary Degree Recipients and Speakers

Jeffrey R. Immelt, former CEO and chairman of the board of directors of General Electric

Helen Greiner, robotics pioneer and visionary technology leader Founder and CTO of CyPhy Works Inc., a leading tethereddrone company, and co-founder and chairman of iRobot, a global robotics leader Jan D. Achenbach, Walter P. Murphy and Distinguished McCormick School Professor Emeritus of the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Northwestern University Pioneering researcher in the area of wave propagation in solids whose advancements in fracture mechanics led to critical improvements in airline and aircraft safety David D. Reh ’62, H'17 global business leader and entrepreneur Founder and past president of the Raytech Group

Hopke Distinguished Lecture Series

The Hopke Distinguished Lecture Series is supported by the Philip K. and Eleanor F. Hopke Endowment for the Institute for a Sustainable Environment (ISE). “Living Scenarios: Chemical Processes, Drivers of Emissions and Anthro-Geoscience”

Tami C. Bond, Nathan M. Newmark Distinguished Professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

New Horizons in Engineering Distinguished Lectureship Series

Launched in 2010 through a generous gift by Distinguished Research Professor of Engineering Liya L. Regel, the lectureship series is dedicated to improving the understanding of important issues facing engineering and society in the 21st century.

Eminent engineers, members of national academies and other leaders in their fields present the latest advances on the frontiers of engineering.

The inaugural lecture was delivered by alumnus Thomas Zacharia PhD’88, director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The lectureship has hosted 15 distinguished speakers over the past seven years.

2017 Lectures:

“The Future of Airpower” U.S. Air Force Gen. Ellen M. Pawlikowski, Commander, Air Force Material Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

Campus Conversations

Engineering Alumnae Panel

On March 29, 2017, three alumnae who studied engineering returned to Clarkson for a film screening of Hidden Figures and a panel discussion on their experiences as African-American women learning and working in STEM fields. The panel was moderated by Associate Professor of History Laura Ettinger, who is currently researching the history of women in engineering (see page 31).

(l-r) Melissa Richards ’04, ’06 (ME), a mechanical engineering PhD student at Clarkson; Simoon Cannon ’98 (ChE), general manager of the jet fuel refinery division at Delta and business PhD student; and Lauren Watts ’11 (MAE), engineer in GE’s Blades, Nacelles, and Spinners Center of Excellence.

2017 Gender, Sex and Sexuality Conference

“Dis)Enfranchisement” was the theme for the 2017 multidisciplinary Gender, Sex and Sexuality Conference, which is held annually and sponsored by the Associated Colleges of the St. Lawrence Valley.

This year’s conference revolved around discussions on marginalized groups and the complex issues of enfranchisement and disenfranchisement, citizenship and community participation.

Papers from the 2017 conference were published in a special issue of Theory in Action. The issue was co-edited by Clarkson’s Associate Professor of Anthropology Annegret Staiger and includes an essay by Assistant Professor of Film Claudia Hoffmann.

Food for Thought

Each year, the Common Book Project engages first-year students and the wider campus community in the shared intellectual exploration of a single book, culminating in book discussions and the associated Van Sickle Endowed Lecture during Convocation weekend. The 2017 lecture featured a panel of food system stakeholders, including local growers, advocates and food-science experts, who discussed issues raised in Eating Animals, including why the choices we make about how we eat and what we eat can impact the environment and our health.

Improving Scientific Literacy

The Science Café | Potsdam, Canton

The challenges of the 21st century demand a scientifically literate society, one in which people understand scientific concepts and processes in order to make informed decisions and participate in public debate. Started by Professor of Physics Daniel ben-Avraham in 2008, the Science Café brings together the academic community and the public to discuss contemporary topics, issues and trends in science and research.

Eco Café | Beacon

The Eco Café is an entertaining and informative series of environmentally focused events and lectures for the public designed to identify and demystify the many roles of water in and around our daily lives. Clarkson University