JANUARY 11, 2025
Dr. Amber Straughn
NASA’S SEARCH FOR COSMIC HISTORY
TONIGHT’S LEAD PATRON
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As we lead the clean-energy transition, we’re investing in solar, nuclear, offshore wind, and storage. We have one of the largest utility solar portfolios in the country, and we’re building the largest offshore wind farm under construction in the nation just off the coast of Virginia Beach.
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We’re proud to support The Richmond Forum, which serves the Central Virginia community with civil, thought-provoking public discourse about the vital questions of the day. We hope you enjoy the season. To learn more, visit dominionenergy.com.
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We proudly support The Richmond Forum and this evening’s speaker, Dr. Amber Straughn, a NASA astrophysicist, who will discuss the nature of exoplanets and the galaxy formation of the early universe.
Dr. Amber Straughn
NASA’S
SEARCH FOR COSMIC HISTORY
JANUARY 11, 2025
OPENING MUSIC Sun V Set
NATIONAL ANTHEM Tiara Mustafa
OPENING REMARKS Heather Mullins Crislip
Executive Director
The Richmond Forum
WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION Regina J. Elbert
Senior Vice President, Human Resources
Dominion Energy
PRESENTATION Dr. Amber Straughn
INTERMISSION Sun V Set
Submit your questions via Slido
AUDIENCE QUESTIONS Dr. Amber Straughn with Heather Crislip
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DR. AMBER STRAUGHN
TONIGHT’S SPEAKER
“EVERYTHING WE CAN SEE AND MEASURE — HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF GALAXIES, TRILLIONS OF STARS, COUNTLESS PLANETS, AND ANY BEINGS THAT MIGHT INHABIT THEM — ALL OF THAT ONLY MAKES UP 5% OF THE KNOWN UNIVERSE. THE REST — THE OTHER 95%? WE HAVE NO IDEA.
DR. AMBER STRAUGHN IS AN ASTROPHYSICIST at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and is a member of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) science team. She also serves as the associate director of the Astrophysics Science Division.
Straughn grew up in the small farming town of Bee Branch, Arkansas, where her fascination with astronomy began under beautifully dark, rural skies. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in physics at the University of Arkansas and completed her master’s and doctoral degrees in physics at Arizona State University. She has been involved in NASA programs since her undergrad years, beginning with the time she flew an experiment on NASA’s microgravity KC-135 plane (the “vomit comet”).
Straughn is interested in how galaxies change over time. Specifically, how important are galaxy interactions in the overall picture of how galaxies grow? How do supermassive black holes, star formation, and gas inflows and outflows affect galaxy evolution over cosmic time? These questions are central to NASA’s long-term goal to discover how the universe works while exploring how it began and evolved.
In addition to research, Straughn’s role with the JWST science team involves public speaking and media engagement. She frequently speaks to large audiences in the United States and abroad. Straughn has appeared on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” PBS’s “NOVA,” the Discovery Channel, the Science Channel, NatGeo, BBC, the History Channel, and NBC’s “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.”
Straughn lives in Maryland with her husband, Matt, and their two Great Danes. Her love of all things air and space prompted her to earn her private pilot’s license in 2013, and she is the owner of a Cessna 182. Straughn has been an active yoga practitioner since grad school, loves to hike, and is a fan of live music.
Tonight, accompanied by stunning JWST-captured images, she will take us on a journey back to the cosmic dark ages, revealing the nature of exoplanets and galaxy formation of the early universe.
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SUN V SET
TONIGHT’S MUSICIANS
SUN V SET IS AN ENCHANTING FOLK-ROCK DUO based in Richmond, Virginia, featuring Linnea Morgan (vocals, guitar) and Ethan Johnstone (drums, guitar). Since 2021, they’ve been crafting their distinct and whimsical sound while recording and performing across the U.S.
Morgan’s classical violin roots and Johnstone’s folk and progressive rock background originally converged as an instrumental fusion project. Over time, Morgan’s exploration of songwriting and guitar led rise to the musical world of Sun V Set.
Morgan’s lyrics blend the personal and the profound, illustrated with strokes of dreamlike fantasy. Their acrobatic melodies and colorful guitar-playing intertwine with Johnstone's syncopated grooves, creating a sound that is both musically adventurous and a testament to their longstanding partnership.
Sun V Set are honored to bring their heartfelt and imaginative brand of contemporary folk to The Richmond Forum.
? HAVE A QUESTION FOR DR. AMBER STRAUGHN?
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EYES ON THE SKY
THE HISTORY OF TELESCOPES
HUMANS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN FASCINATED BY THE NIGHT SKY.
The apparent movement of the sun, moon, and stars sparked curiosity in ancient civilizations across the globe, with many developing myths and stories to explain celestial phenomena. Over the course of thousands of years, celestial objects helped humans navigate, create calendars, predict seasonal changes, and ponder our very creation.
The invention of the telescope pushed the boundaries of astronomical exploration. With every new innovation, we gain the ability to more study the cosmos more precisely, gaze further into the past, and better understand our place in the universe.
The idea for what would become the telescope originated with the invention of optical lenses. There are records of the Ancient Greeks studying optical distortions of water-filled spheres as far back as fifth century BCE. In the centuries that followed, there are numerous accounts of the academic study of the properties of light, including reflection and refraction, notably by mathematicians and astronomers like Claudius Ptolemy and Hasan Ibn al-Haytham .
The widespread manufacturing of eyeglasses in late-13th century Italy paved the way for advanced applications beyond the correction of sight issues.
The first telescopes emerged in the Netherlands in 1608, when Hans Lippershey, a spectacle maker, applied for a patent for a device “for seeing things far away as if they were nearby.” His invention used convex and concave lenses to magnify distant objects.
This invention quickly gained attention across Europe and within a year, Galileo Galilei,
an Italian polymath, improved on the Dutch designs to create a more powerful instrument. Using his telescope, Galileo made significant astronomical discoveries, including the moons of Jupiter, the phases of Venus, and the detailed surface of the moon, cementing the telescope’s role in science.
In 1668, Isaac Newton revolutionized telescope design with the invention of the reflecting telescope. By replacing lenses with mirrors, Newton’s design eliminated chromatic aberration, a flaw in refracting telescopes that produced distorted images. His innovation laid the groundwork for more advanced reflective systems.
A reproduction of 13th century rivet spectacles.
One of Galileo’s first telescopes.
A replica of Newton's first reflecting telescope.
In the mid-18th century, William Herschel, a German-born British astronomer, constructed some of the largest telescopes of his time, enabling the discovery of Uranus and detailed study of nebulae.
Fifty years later across the Irish Sea, William Parsons , Third Earl of Rosse, built a massive 71-foot reflecting telescope. Referred to as the “Leviathan of Parsonstown,” the telescope, equipped with 6-foot mirrors weighing three tons each, allowed astronomers to observe spiral galaxies for the first time.
The technological advancements of the 20th century took telescopes to unprecedented heights. In 1917, the 100-inch Hooker Telescope at Mount Wilson Observatory in California was introduced and became instrumental in Edwin Hubble’s discovery of the expanding universe.
In 1931, Karl Jansky discovered astronomical objects gave off radio emissions, prompting a new era of observational astronomy after World War II, with telescopes being developed for other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum from radio waves to gamma rays.
The Hubble Space Telescope, launched in 1990 as a collaborative effort between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), marked a tremendous global milestone. Positioned above Earth’s atmosphere, it provided crystal-clear images of distant galaxies, star-forming regions, and black holes. It continues to provide astronomers with a view of the universe, unobstructed by the earth’s atmosphere, across a wide range of wavelengths, including ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared light.
In 2021, another collaborative international effort, the James Webb Space Telescope, launched with the promise to probe the early universe with unparalleled sensitivity. Tonight’s speaker will share more details about the 25-year process to design, develop, and build this groundbreaking instrument.
Countless mysteries of the universe remain, and more advanced telescopes are already in development. NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will further study dark matter and exoplanets, and is scheduled to launch in 2027.
CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION
What do humans have to gain from space exploration?
How do everyday people help make scientific discoveries? Go to science.nasa.gov/citizen-science to learn how you can join NASA researchers and discover the secrets of the universe!
An illustration of the “Leviathan of Parsonstown.”
Hubble as seen from Space Shuttle Discovery.
JWST.
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A WEBB OF DISCOVERIES
EARLY PHOTOS & FINDINGS FROM THE JWST
THE JAMES WEBB SPACE TELESCOPE is the world’s premier space science observatory. Scientists use it to solve the mysteries of our solar system while looking beyond to distant worlds, probing the unknown structures and origins of our universe and our place within it. The telescope is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency). Take a look at some of its early photos and findings.
The cosmos seems to come alive with a crackling explosion of pyrotechnics in this new image. This fiery hourglass marks L1527, the scene of a very young object in the process of becoming a star. A central protostar grows in the neck of the hourglass, accumulating material from a thin protoplanetary disk, seen edge-on as a dark line.
The protostar, a relatively young object of about 100,000 years, is still surrounded by its parent molecular cloud, or large region of gas and dust. It resides about 460 lightyears from Earth in the constellation Taurus.
L1527 was first observed with Webb’s NIRCam (NearInfrared Camera), showing that ejections from the star cleared out cavities above and below it, with boundaries that glow orange and blue in this infrared view.
More recently, Webb captured organic compounds known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, seen in blue, and an energized, thick layer of gases and dust that surrounds the protostar, seen in red, with MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument).
MIRI Image
NIRCam Image
The Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex is the nearest starforming region to Earth. Its proximity at 390 lightyears allows for a highly detailed close-up, with no foreground stars in the intervening space.
Hang ten! Researchers found that many distant galaxies are shaped like surfboards and pool noodles, rather than spiral or elliptical structures like the galaxies closer to Earth.
Flattened oval disk and tube-shaped galaxies were much more common when the universe was 600 million to 6 billion years old.
Identifying these additional categories of early galaxies allows researchers to study how their shape relates to their appearance, and to better project how they formed.
Stare deeply at these galaxies. They evoke images of blood pumping through the top of a fleshfree face. The long, ghastly “stare” of their searing eye-like cores shines into the supreme cosmic darkness. It’s good fortune that looks can be deceiving.
The gruesome palette of these galaxies is owed to a mix of mid-infrared light from Webb, and visible and ultraviolet light from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. The pair grazed one another millions of years ago. The smaller spiral on the left, cataloged as IC 2163, passed behind NGC 2207, the larger spiral galaxy at right.
Both are characterized by high star formation rates. Together, they’re estimated to form a total of two dozen new stars every year, each one the size of the Sun. By contrast, our Milky Way galaxy forms two or three new Sun-like stars per year.
What’s next for these spirals? Over many millions of years, the galaxies may swing past one another repeatedly. It’s possible their cores and arms will meld, leaving behind completely reshaped arms and an even brighter, cyclops-like “eye” at the core. Star formation will also slow down once their stores of gas and dust deplete, and the scene will calm.
Smile for the camera! An interaction between an elliptical galaxy and a spiral galaxy, collectively known as Arp 107, has given the spiral a happier outlook thanks to the two bright “eyes” and wide semicircular “smile.”
Webb captured these galaxies in the process of merging, which will take hundreds of millions of years. As the two galaxies rebuild after the chaos of their collision, Arp 107 may lose its smile but will inevitably become something just as interesting for future astronomers to study.
Enter the Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant located 6,500 light-years away in the constellation Taurus. A team of scientists used Webb’s MIRI and NIRCam to parse the formation’s composition, helping to clarify its history.
The Crab Nebula is the result of a core-collapse supernova from the death of a massive star. The supernova explosion was seen on Earth in 1054 CE and was bright enough to view during the daytime. The much fainter remnant observed today is an expanding shell of gas and dust, as well as outflowing wind powered by a pulsar — a rapidly spinning and highly magnetized neutron star.
The fluffy magenta-colored material is dust grains, forming a cage-like structure most apparent toward the lower left and upper right portions of the remnant. Filaments of dust thread the Crab’s interior and sometimes coincide with regions of doubly ionized sulfur (sulfur III), colored in green. Yellow-white mottled filaments, which form large loop-like structures around the supernova remnant’s center, represent areas where dust and sulfur III overlap.
The dust’s cage-like structure constrains some but not all of the ghostly synchrotron emission represented in blue. The emission resembles wisps of smoke, most notable toward the Crab’s center. The thin blue ribbons follow the magnetic field lines created by the Crab’s pulsar heart.
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SPEECH & DEBATE
MID-SEASON CHECK-IN
FOR THE SIXTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR, the Richmond Forum Speech & Debate Initiative (RFSDI) has outpaced its growth, attracting more students from more schools to compete in RFSDIsponsored tournaments.
This fall, we supported two schools hosting their first circuit tournaments and partnered with Colonial Williamsburg for the first annual Revolutionary Rhetoric tournament. As word of our speech and debate tournament circuit spreads, it attracts the participation of schools beyond the Richmond region. The increased competition enriches the experience for our students and pushes everyone to further strive for excellence.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
The scrimmages and tournaments organized by RFSDI so far this year:
OCTOBER
Revolutionary Rhetoric at Colonial Williamsburg — 31 competitors
Monarch Mayhem Scrimmage and Expo at Meadowbrook HS — 73 competitors, 200 observers
Christy Ellis Legacy Tournament at Manchester HS — 276 competitors
NOVEMBER
Jaguar Jamboree Invitational at Glen Allen HS — 412 competitors
DECEMBER
Crimson Wave Holiday Tournament at Petersburg HS — 300 competitors (capped attendance)
We would like to thank all of our new and veteran judges for spending their time with us to ensure our students have the opportunity to compete. As our tournaments grow, so does our need for volunteer judges.
With your support and engagement, we can move forward with preparing our future leaders. Learn more at www.richmondspeechdebate.org.
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Students from Richmond Community High School
FORUM SCHOLARS
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
LAST PROGRAM, we introduced you to our 2024-2025 class of Richmond Forum Scholars. Tonight, we’re catching up with some of the 55 Scholar alumni scattered across the U.S. and around the world. We’ve asked them to share their favorite Forum memories and what they’ve walked away with from their time behind the scenes.
NIKHITH KALKUNTE
2013-2014 Scholar, Midlothian High School
Kalkunte currently lives in Washington, D.C., where he works as a Presidential Management Fellow at the National Institutes of Health. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and a doctorate in biomedical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.
“My favorite Forum moments were the backstage laughs my fellow Scholars and I would have with each of the speakers. Whether it was seeing Martin Short run backstage in a nude-toned body suit or chatting with former Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his security detail about the commonalities between Richmond, Virginia, and Richmond, United Kingdom, I greatly enjoyed spending time with my Scholar cohort and each speaker.”
LAWRENCE JIA
2017-2018 Scholar, Maggie L. Walker
Governor’s School
Jia currently lives in Beijing, China, and is studying at Tsinghua University as a Schwarzman Scholar. He graduated this past spring from Harvard College with degrees in applied mathematics and philosophy.
“Though I loved my childhood in Midlothian, Richmond can sometimes feel a little small. The Forum was the first time I realized how big the world was outside of Richmond. But now that I’m out in the big world, the connections I found at The Forum makes me miss and appreciate the smaller community in which I grew up.”
Kalkunte (second from left) with Steve Martin, Martin Short, and the first class of Scholars (2014)
Jia with Peter Diamandis (2018)
LAYAL EL-AYOUBI
2022 Scholar, Trinity Episcopal School
El-Ayoubi is currently studying business and global affairs at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
“My experience as a scholar was exhilarating and transformative. At its core, The Richmond Forum is a space of intellectual exchange, bridge-building in service of the Richmond community and our nation. Taking part in this process as a Scholar meant engaging conversations about issues with no one clear solution, and becoming comfortable with this reality yet persisting in an effort to pull others’ viewpoints into the dialogue.”
BRANDON BROWN
2018-2019 Scholar, Atlee High School
Brown currently lives in Logroño, La Rioja, Spain, where he teaches English as a Fulbright Scholar. He received a bachelor’s in public policy from the University of Virginia.
“Being a Richmond Forum Scholar was formative. It was a blessing to be introduced to such professionalism at such a young age. They had high expectations, and I was rewarded with invaluable connections, experiences, and a confidence that stays with me today. One of my favorite moments was when Tina Fey told me she liked my tie.”
IRMA ADAMS
2022 Scholar, Hanover High School
Adams is currently studying industrial and systems engineering at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.
“The Richmond Forum gave me a glimpse into the professional world where I learned the true power of conversation. I will forever remember our behind-the-scenes moments and the wonderful people I met. My favorite moments were the dessert receptions after each program, as I could meet the speakers and have personal conversations with anyone in the room.”
Do you know a remarkable high school sophomore? Encourage them to apply to be a Richmond Forum Scholar next season. Applications open in April.
Adams and El-Ayoubi with Gloria Steinem (2022)
Brown with Scott Kelly (2018)
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Nathan & Sally Tate
Technology Leasing Concepts, Inc.
Melodie Thigpen & Paulette Moncol
Doug & Janet Tope
Marc & Marnie Warner
Siri & Kyle Wiggins
Beth & Van Williams
Julie & Gary Wilson
Becky & John Young
Robyn L. Young
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Thanks to the generous support of Dr. & Mrs. Baxter W. Perkinson, Jr.,
students and faculty from Trinity Episcopal School have the opportunity to attend The Richmond Forum in a special program designed to connect the classroom, the community and current events. Trinity and The Forum are grateful to the Perkinsons for their continued support.
1987
RICHMOND FORUM SPEAKERS
January Ted Koppel
February Hodding Carter and Larry Speakes with Paul Duke
March General Brent Scowcroft with Diane Sawyer
April Charles Kuralt
1988
January Oprah Winfrey
February Jeane Kirkpatrick and Vladimir Pozner with Marvin Kalb
March George Will
April Art Buchwald
1989
January Sam Donaldson
February Henry Kissinger with John Chancellor
March William Buckley and Charles Rangel
April Dr. Carl Sagan
Astronomer Dr. Carl Sagan spoke not only of the cosmos at The Richmond Forum on April 22, 1989, but also of the impending threat fossil fuels pose to planet Earth.
He encouraged the audience to become involved in advocacy.
“We need a primary allegiance to the species and to planet Earth,” Sagan said. “Nothing short of that is going to solve our problems.”
1990
January Paul Duke, Howard Fineman and Charles McDowell
February Frank Carlucci, George McGovern, William Proxmire and William Rusher with Bettina Gregory
March Mike Wallace
April Alistair Cooke
1990–1991
October Chancellor Helmut Schmidt
January Admiral William Crowe, General Alexander Haig and Robert McFarlane with Edwin Newman
February H. Ross Perot
March Art Buchwald and Andy Rooney
April Captain James Lovell and Dr. Frank Drake with James Burke
1991–1992
October Barbara Walters
January PM Margaret Thatcher
February General H. Norman Schwarzkopf with Larry King
March Dr. Marc Micozzi and Dr. Victor McKusick with Patricia Cornwell
April Mark Russell
1992–1993
October Terry Anderson
January Hiroki Kato and T. Boone Pickens
February Dr. Joyce Brothers
March Dr. Bill Cosby
April President Mikhail Gorbachev with Cokie Roberts
1993–1994
November Senator Warren Rudman, Lamar Alexander and Dr. Marvin Cetron with Chris Wallace
January Frank Capiello and Michael Holland with Louis Rukeyser
February President George H. W. Bush
March Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
April Bob Newhart
1994–1995
November General Colin Powell
January Walter Cronkite
February Dave Barry
March Tom Clancy
April Jack Kemp and George Mitchell
1995–1996
November PM Brian Mulroney and Ambassador Carla Hills
January Neil Armstrong, Eugene Cernan and Dick Rutan with David Hartman
February Calvin Trillin
March Charles Kuralt
April David Gergen, Pierre Salinger, Sheila Tate and Bob Woodward with Ed Bradley
1996–1997
November Carl Reiner with Dick Cavett
January Paul Volcker with Ray Brady
February Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough
March Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber with Sir David Frost
April Marcia Clark, Philip K. Howard, Dr. Rodney Smolla and Kym Worthy with Prof. Arthur Miller
1997–1998
November Bill Moyers
January Wynton Marsalis
February PM Shimon Peres
March Mary Tyler Moore
April Peter Lynch
1998–1999
November PM John Major
January Robert Bennett and Dr. William Bennett with Tim Russert
February Harry S. Dent, Jr. and Lou Dobbs
March Lily Tomlin
April Dr. Robert Ballard and Jean-Michel Cousteau
1999–2000
November Julie Andrews
January Todd Brewster and Peter Jennings
February John Krubski and Michael Connors with Ray Brady
March Archbishop Desmond Tutu
April James Carville and Newt Gingrich with Tim Russert
PAST PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT
2000–2001
November Senator John Glenn
January Tom Brokaw
February PM Benjamin Netanyahu
March Frank McCourt
April Dr. William Kelso
2001–2002
November Hal Holbrook
January Rabbi Marc Gellman and Msgr. Thomas Hartman
February Dick Clark
March Doris Kearns Goodwin and David McCullough
April Madeleine Albright and James Baker with Gwen Ifill
2002–2003
November Ken Burns
January Rudolph Giuliani
February PM Benazir Bhutto and Queen Noor with Gwen Ifill
March Louis Freeh
April Senator Fred Thompson
2003–2004
November Cal Ripken, Jr.
January Robert Shiller and Jeremy Siegel
February Candice Bergen
March President Mary Robinson
April Thomas L. Friedman
2004–2005
November General Tommy Franks
January Michael Beschloss and Walter Isaacson
February Tim Russert
March Dr. Fareed Zakaria
April Frank Gehry
2005–2006
November Robert Redford with Pat Mitchell
January Sherry Lansing
February General Colin Powell (Ret.)
March Tom Wolfe
April Rick Wagoner
“An Out of This World Evening (2009)”
A strophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson’s program on November 14, 2009 was one of many firsts. Tyson was the first speaker to visit the brand-new Student Room, the first speaker to take his shoes off while on stage, and the first to stay late after his program to be timed solving a Rubik’s Cube.
After his visit, he wrote a letter to Forum staff, encouraging us to add more scientists to our speaker roster in order to address “the emerging importance of science in society.”
We took his suggestion to heart and have since hosted 11 more science and technology programs!
2006–2007
November Burt Rutan
January Malcolm Gladwell and Alvin Toffler
February B.B. King
March Jim Lehrer
April Dr. Jared Diamond
2007–2008
November President Vicente Fox
January Carly Fiorina
February Michael Douglas
March Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
April David Brooks
2008–2009
November PM Tony Blair
January Reza Aslan and Jon Meacham
February Smokey Robinson with Daphne Maxwell Reid
March Terry Bradshaw and Howie Long
April Marion Nestle and Michael Pollan
2009–2010
November Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson
January Greg Mortenson
March Steve Forbes
April Condoleezza Rice
May David Plouffe
2010–2011
November President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf
January Laura Bush
February Anderson Cooper
March Dr. George Church
April David Blaine
2011–2012
November Dr. Robert Ballard
January Robert Gates
February Quincy Jones with Tim Reid
March Charles Krauthammer and Robert Reich with John Donvan
April Sir Ken Robinson and Rafe Esquith
2012–2013
November Platon
January Steven Spielberg, Tony Kushner and Doris Kearns Goodwin with Tim Reid
February President Bill Clinton
March Captain Mark Kelly and Gabrielle Giffords
April Dr. Jane Goodall
2013–2014
November Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf and Maajid Nawaz with John Donvan
January Dan Buettner
February President George W. Bush
March PM Gordon Brown
April Steve Martin and Martin Short
2014–2015
November Diana Nyad
January Garry Trudeau
March Ben Bernanke with Paul Solman
April Dr. Daniel Levitin and Rosanne Cash
May General Keith Alexander and Robert Mueller with John Donvan
2015–2016
November Michael Sandel
January Alan Alda
February James Balog
March PM Julia Gillard
April Russell Wilson and Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
2016–2017
November Nate Parker
January Doris Kearns Goodwin and Jon Meacham with Steve Inskeep
February Krista Tippett
March PM Ehud Barak and Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei with Robin Wright
April Ron Howard with Linda Holmes
2017–2018
November President Barack Obama
January Glenn Close
February Peter Diamandis
March Ambassador Samantha Power
April Joe Scarborough and Newt Gingrich with Mara Liasson
2018–2019
November Captain Scott Kelly
January Tina Fey with Linda Holmes
February Dr. Sanjay Gupta
March Ian Bremmer
April Dr. Temple Grandin with John Donvan
2019–2020
November Bob Costas
January Dave Isay, Catherine Burns and Brandon Stanton with John Donvan
February Peggy Noonan
2020–2021
November José Andrés
January Theresa May
February Esther Perel
March Bryan Stevenson
April Vijay Gupta
Neurosurgical Associates, P.C.
SPECIALIZING
SPINE & BRAIN SURGERY
2022
January Bob Iger with Kara Swisher
February Gloria Steinem with Zainab Salbi
March Erik Weihenmayer
April Intelligence Squared U.S. Debates
May Rhiannon Giddens
June Michelle Obama
2022–2023
November Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster (USA, Ret.)
January Maria Ressa
February Ella Al-Shamahi
March John Lithgow
April Dr. Cornel West and Thomas Chatterton Williams
2023–2024
November Isabel Wilkerson
January Joel Sartore
February Liz Cheney
March Dr. Anthony Fauci
April Jan Crawford and Kimberley Strassel
2024–2025
November Baratunde Thurston
January Dr. Amber Straughn
February Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski
March Richard Reeves
April Martha Stewart with Soledad O’Brien
Explore our past speaker archive and share your Forum memories at richmondforum.org/speaker.
BARATUNDE THURSTON AT
THE RICHMOND FORUM NOVEMBER 23, 2024
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IS NO LONGER A DISTANT CONCEPT — it’s a reality shaping every facet of our lives. At The Richmond Forum, Baratunde Thurston, a storyteller navigating the intersections of technology, humanity, and nature, confronted this pressing question: What does AI mean for us?
Using humor, personal anecdotes, and philosophical insights, Thurston painted a vivid picture of a world at a crossroads — where AI could either strengthen human connections or unravel the very fabric of our shared humanity. “The future,” he insisted, “depends not on the machines, but on our ability to make thoughtful, ethical, and inclusive decisions.”
For Thurston, the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT marked a pivotal moment in the AI revolution. “It was a surprise to many of us,” he said. “Even people in the industry had predictions about this technology being available, and it blew away most of those predictions.” This, he argued, exemplifies the staggering pace of technological development.
In stark contrast to previous generations, who experienced little change over centuries, today’s tech-fueled world is defined by rapid shifts that affect everything from interpersonal interactions to global warfare. “How do we teach? How do we govern in that kind of environment?” Thurston asked, urging the audience to think deeply about how society adapts to these challenges.
Thurston pushed back against the notion that speed is the ultimate goal of AI. “Just because something is faster doesn’t make it better,” he remarked. “Some things in life we actually may want to slow down — time with people we care about, an enjoyable meal. The things that have the most meaning for us shouldn’t be made efficient.”
Instead, he encouraged the audience to harness AI as a tool to create space for deeper, more meaningful human experiences.
“It’s a great loss if we use AI to connect more to technology and substitute for connections with our fellow human beings or with the planet we are a part of,” he said. “It’s unavoidable, but we should be more active in choosing.”
Thurston described AI as a mirror that reflects our values, biases, and priorities, urging the audience to ensure that the data shaping AI includes the full spectrum of human experiences. “If we want AI to stand as a proxy for all humans, we need to include everyone in its development.”
Thurston proposed a framework for ethical AI centered on consent, control, credit, and compensation. He emphasized the importance of giving individuals sovereignty over their data, recognizing contributions to AI systems, and ensuring fair pay for the value created. “If someone is making money off our contributions,” he noted, “we deserve a little kickback.”
He also called for greater accountability in AI governance, raising critical questions about regulation and oversight. “AI is not a standalone entity,” he reminded the audience. “It’s a reflection of us, and we need to take responsibility for the systems we create.”
Thurston invited the audience to reflect on what it means to be human in the age of AI and to actively shape a future where technology complements and enhances human life. “If AI can help us listen to the trees, understand the whales, and see that a stranger is a part of ourselves, then it’s a worthy pursuit,” he said.
Thurston left the audience with a profound challenge: to aim high in creating a future where technology aligns with humanity’s highest values. “The prompt isn’t just to the bots,” he declared. “The prompt is to us.”
MR.THURSTONGAVEAPOSITIVE,HUMOROUS SPINONASUBJECTTHATIBELIEVESCARES MANYPEOPLE.ASTHEYSAY,KNOWLEDGE ISPOWER,ANDITHINKHEREMOVEDSOME OFTHATFEARWITHTHEKNOWLEDGEHE SHAREDONTHESUBJECT.
1) Vida Williams of Stride, Inc. asks Baratunde Thurston questions from the audience. 2) Thurston on stage. 3) Thurston visits the Student Room to talk with local high school students. 4) Will Hershey of Davenport & Company, the evening’s Lead Patron, introduces the speaker. 5) Ms. Jaylin Brown provides musical entertainment. 6) Guests of Capital One, the Host Patron for the evening.
www.pfgc.com
UP NEXT AT THE FORUM
MARCH 22, 2025
RICHARD REEVES Are Boys Falling Behind?
FEBRUARY 15, 2025
MIKE “COACH K” KRZYZEWSKI PLAYING TO WIN
Mike Krzyzewski, better known as “Coach K,” is widely regarded as one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time. He led the Duke University Blue Devils to 13 Final Fours — the most of any coach in the game — and five national titles, and he brought home three Olympic gold medals with the U.S. national team. From his childhood in Chicago to his legendary 42-year career as Duke’s head coach, Krzyzewski will reflect on all he has learned about leadership. His tactics to identify excellent talent, turn weakness into strength, and lead with passion, will reveal the game plan to drive any team to success, whether on or off the court.
(Format: Speech with Q&A)
APRIL 26, 2025
MARTHA STEWART WITH SOLEDAD O’BRIEN
The Life Behind Living
Uncommon TRaIlbLAzeR
“Telescopes are like time machines … and will help us find the very first galaxies born after the Big Bang.”
Just like Dr. Amber Straughn, we are explorers, too. Searching for big bangs in everything from artificial intelligence to the cure for cancer. In other words, when it comes to being a world-class research university, we’re in a galaxy of our own. VCU. We are the uncommon.
Photo credit Chris Gunn/NASA