President's Colloquia

"Yuck! The Nature and Moral Significance of Disgust"

Daniel Kelly, Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy

Dr. Kelly's work explores how a better understanding of the psychology behind disgust sheds light on a number of different facets of human nature. An examination of disgust also can improve our grasp on the nature of morality and inform our ethical aspirations. In this talk, he will sketch out the core character of disgust and the influence it can have in different aspects of human social life.

"When Is Good News Bad and Vice Versa? The Fortune Rankings of America’s Most Admired Companies"

John McConnell, Burton D. Morgan Distinguished Chair of Private Enterprise (Finance), Krannert Graduate School of Management

Dr. McConnell's research postulates that media coverage can increase or decrease the value of a manager's reputational capital and, as a consequence, enhance or diminish the manager's power to extract corporate resources for private consumption. McConnell will examine these predictions using increases and decreases in Fortune's rankings of America’s Most Admired Companies as a measure of media-induced changes in a CEO’' reputational capital.

"Bones, Caves, and Cosmic Rays: Accelerator Mass Spectrometry at PRIME Lab Pieces Together an Ancient Story"

Marc Caffee, Professor and Associate Head, Department of Physics and Astronomy

Darryl Granger, Professor and Associate Head, Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences

Research that Dr. Caffee and Dr. Granger carried out in the PRIME Lab, where cosmogenic nuclides of fossils are measured for dating purposes, led to the discovery of Little Foot, a nearly complete Australopithecus skeleton from Sterkfontein, South Africa. This was one of the first measurements made using accelerator mass spectrometry equipment, new to the University in 2014. Their findings point to increased hominid diversity and an even earlier origin for Australopithecus.

"King Arthur: Myth and Legend"

Dorsey Armstrong, Professor, Department of English

Dr. Armstrong's research examines the legend of King Arthur and his knights and ladies. She delves into the historical mystery behind the figure of Arthur, discovering the real-life model for the legend bears little resemblance to the noble monarch so many people imagine.

"Improving Student Learning with Effective Cognitive Strategies"

Jeffrey D. Karpicke, James V. Bradley Associate Professor, Department of Psychological Sciences

Dr. Karpicke's research bridges cognitive science and education to identify effective learning techniques. He discusses why learners sometimes fail to use effective strategies, what cognitive science tells us about the nature of effective strategies and what can be done to promote more usage of effective strategies.

"Zika and Other Mosquito-Borne Diseases — What Is Our Public Health Forecast?"

Catherine A. Hill, Professor and Showalter Faculty Scholar, President’s Fellow for the Life Sciences, Department of Entomology

Dr. Hill's research is focused on the control of arthropod-borne infectious diseases that threaten public health and biosecurity. Join the discussion as she considers the global threat of mosquito-borne infectious disease epidemics, showcases some exciting new technologies for mosquito control and explores the tricky concept of mosquito elimination.