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Sept. 1, 2000
Lecture series brings back distinguished Graduate School alumni
First address scheduled for Sept. 17
Princeton, N.J. --A Princeton University lecture series featuring distinguished alumni of the Graduate School will begin Sept. 17 with an address by Paula Fredriksen, a scholar known for her research on early Christianity.
Fredriksen, a 1979 graduate alumna who is the Aurelio Professor of Scripture at Boston University, will discuss "Jesus, the Crucifixion and the Origins of Christianity" in the first address of the "Frontiers of Knowledge" lecture series. The series, which will bring six graduate alumni back to the Princeton campus, is part of the centennial celebration of the Graduate School.
Fredriksen's books include Augustine on Romans (1982), From Jesus to Christ (1988), which won the Yale University Press Governors' Award for Best Book, and Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews (1999), which won the National Jewish Book Award. She studied ancient Christianity at Wellesley, Oxford and Princeton and has taught at Stanford, Berkeley and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
The Sunday afternoon lecture series is free and open to the public. All the talks will take place at 4 p.m. in Lecture Hall 302 in the Frist Campus Center and will be followed by a free reception. The Frist Campus Center is just west of Washington Road and south of Prospect Avenue.
The other lecturers will be:
• Juan Maldacena, a 1996 alumnus and professor of physics at Harvard University, will speak on "Gravity, Black Holes and Strings" on Oct. 15. Maldacena is redefining the boundaries of mathematical physics and already has been credited with key conceptual breakthroughs. He is a Fellow of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and will be a distinguished visiting professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton during the 2000-2001 academic year.
• Arthur Winfree, a 1970 alumnus and Regents Professor at the University of Arizona, will speak on "Total Eclipse of the Heart: Electrical Vortices and Fatal Heart Attacks" on Nov. 12. Winfree's work integrating chemistry, physiology and applied mathematics has led to the current theory on how chemical and electrical waves underlie sudden cardiac death.
• Peter Bell, a 1964 alumnus and president of CARE, one of the world's largest private international relief and development organizations, will speak on "Affirming Dignity and Ending Poverty: The Search for a Better World" on Feb. 11, 2001. Bell is known for his leadership of humanitarian activities in the non-profit sector and in government.
• Elizabeth Bailey, a 1972 alumna and John C. Hower Professor of Public Policy and Management at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, will speak on "A Regulatory Framework for the 21st Century" on March 11, 2001. Bailey is considered one of the country's top experts on deregulation of the airline industry and the interface between business and government.
• Lester Little, a 1962 alumnus and Dwight W. Morrow Professor of History at Smith College, will speak on "Monasticism in Western Society: From Marginality to the Establishment and Back" on April 22, 2001. A scholar, teacher and interpreter of Europe in the Middle Ages, Little has served since 1998 as director of the American Academy in Rome, a leading American center for independent study and advanced research in the fine arts and humanities.
"These alumni exemplify the level and breadth of scholarship pursued in our Graduate School," said John F. Wilson, dean of the Graduate School. "We are proud to welcome them back and to thank them for the many contributions they have made to their fields and to society."
The "Frontiers of Knowledge" lecture series is one of numerous, wide-ranging events planned as part of the Graduate School's Centennial celebration. Throughout the year, conferences, lectures and receptions will be held to trace the School's history, its contributions to Princeton's teaching and research programs, and the contributions of its alumni in many fields. A schedule is available at http://www.princeton.edu/centennial/.
The lecture series is co-sponsored by the Graduate School and the Faculty Committee on Public Lectures.
Note to editors: Photos of all speakers are available. For information, call (609) 258-3601.