Overview

Walden Forum: List of Speakers and Topics

Our series started with these events in 2011:

  • February 15, 2011: Giovanni Fazio, Ph.D., Senior Physicist, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, “Journey from Earth to the Furthest the Hubble Telescope Could See”
  • March 15, 2011: Dr. Mohamed Lazzouni, Islamic Scholar, “An Authentic American Muslim Speaks About Ending the Vitriolic Discourse”
  • April 26, 2011, Phil Giudice, Undersecretary for Energy… “Our Mass Energy Journey”
  • May 12, 2011, Jeffrey Hoffman, Ph.D., Professor Department of Astronautics at MIT, The astronaut that changed the Mirror in the Hubble Telescope talked about his experience and manned space flight.
  • October 18, 2011: Emily Rothman, Ph.D., Boston University Community Health Sciences, Casey Corcoran, Director of the Boston Public Health Commissions Initiative -“Start Strong,” and Joanne Patterson, Director of Education & Prevention Programs at Reach Beyond Domestic Violence, “ A Discussion on Dating Violence”
  • November 3, 2011: Tom Ashbrook, NPR Talk Radio Personality and host of the nationally syndicated WBUR show, “On Point”, “A Career in Journalism”
  • December 1, 2011: Dr. Peter Gray, Research Professor of Psychology at Boston College, “The Freedom to Learn”

Events in 2012:

  • January 19, 2012: Dr. Kerry Emanuel, Professor of Atmospheric Science at  MIT, “What We Know about Climate Change”
  • February 21, 2012: Jimmy Tingle, Writer, Stand-Up Comic, Social & Political Humorist, Commentator, Actor, and Activist, “The Political Takeover by Comedy in America Today”
  • March 23,2012: Gabriel Bol Deng, Former Lost Boy of Sudan, Survivor, Teacher, Social and Political Activist, Humanitarian, “Africa, South Sudan – Rebuilding with the Power of Hope”
  • April 30, 2012: Drs. Stephanie Jones, Ph.D., Asst. Professor Harvard Graduate School of Education and Richard Weissbourd, Ph.D. Lecturer in Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, “Preventing Bullying Begins with Us – Continued”
  • May 21, 2012: Vladimir Bulovic, Ph.D., Co-Chair of the MIT Future of Solar Energy Study, “Solar Energy – FACT, FICTION and DISCOVERY”
  • September 13, 2012: Greg Stone, Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Scientist for Oceans with Conservation International, “Saving our Oceans”
  • October 2, 2012: Kevin Sabet, former Senior Policy Advisor to the Director of National Drug Control Policy, Washington DC. and Jeffrey Miron, Ph.D., American economist, Senior Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Harvard and a marijuana advocate, ”The Pros and Cons of Medical Marijuana”
  • November 15, 2012: James P. O’Shaughnessy, an American Investor, Writer, Author and the Founder, Chairman and CEO of O’Shaughnessy Asset Management, “From Main Street to Wall Street – What to Expect from the Economy and Stock Market Over the Next 10 years”
  • December 6, 2012: Dan Kennedy, Professor at Northeastern University in News Reporting, Media Law and Journalism, “Truth in the Media”

Events in 2013:

  • January 17, 2013: Mr. Allan Klumpp, Rocket Scientist, Software Engineer, Principal Designer of the “Apollo Lunar Descent Guidance Systems” and now Author and Educator, “Making Civilization Permanent – Outliving the Sun“
  • February 7, 2013 – Ashaf Hussein and Chen Arad, Slifka-Malkin Scholars at Brandeis University, one Arab and one Jewish student, studying together and committed to fostering greater tolerance and understanding between Arab and Jewish Israelis, “Arab/Israelis – Can There Be a Solution – Can They Coexist in Peace in the Middle East?”
  • April 18, 2013: Robin Young, WBUR Radio Personality, joins us to discuss her career. Learn about her journey as a female journalist and filmmaker. Listen to her comments on current issues and whether or not there is still a bias toward women in business. Ms. Young will discuss the people she has interviewed and stories she has covered that have most moved her.
  • May 21, 2013: Ronnie Boyar, Regional Director for “Komen for the Cure” and Dr. Eric Winer, Director, Breast Oncology Center; Thompson Senior Investigator in Breast Cancer Research. “Think Pink: A Discussion on Breast Cancer”. The goal of this forum is to continue the dialogue on this dreaded disease, bring about a better understanding of whether the marketing of Pink is helping or not, and address the actual treatment and research of the disease that comes from these efforts.
  • September 10, 2013: Len Schlesinger, College President, Professor, Educator, CEO, Author and Entrepreneurship Advocate. Len Schlesinger’s talk:  “Why Action Trumps Everything:  Entrepreneurship is the Most Powerful Force for Economic and Social Value Creation.” We’re seeing more businesses moving from a model focused exclusively on economic outcomes to one that embraces a more holistic view of a business’s ability to contribute economically, sustainably and socially. Join us at Waldne Forum as we discuss this important topic.
  • October 10, 2013: Meredith Dank, Ph.D., Professor, Senior Research Associate at the Justice Policy / Urban Institute NYC  and Author leads our discussion on “Technology and Teen Dating Violence”. Research shows that just over 25% of youths in a current or recent relationship experience cyber dating abuse victimization, with girls more likely to experience abuse than boys. Victims of sexually-oriented cyber abuse are seven times more likely to experience sexual coercion. These and other findings will shed new light on how technology is used to perpetrate abuse and sexual violence among youth, as well as implications for prevention and intervention.
  • November 14, 2013:  Fatemeh Haghighatjoo, Ph.D., the “Lion Woman of Iran”, also former Iranian Parliamentarian,  journalist, educator, and author, leads our discussion “Iran: Rouhani: A force of Change”.  Join us to learn more about Iran’s new leader and the implications for the nuclear issue between Iran and the U.S.

Upcoming Events:

  • December 12, 2013: “Handel’s Messiah, a Community Sing-Along”. Join the Walden Forum, the WHS Sinfonia Orchestra, with Susan Memoli conducting, along with professional & audience choruses directed by the renowned Sharon Brown, from the Berklee College of Music, for our holiday community sing-along. Our sing-along has been developed on a principle of openness. Everyone is welcome!