The Sokol Lecture Series
The Sokol Lecture Series
Through a generous donation from Margaret Sokol, the Margaret & Herman Sokol Science Lecture series has been established to help our faculty, students, and the surrounding communities garner a greater appreciation and expanded knowledge of important issues in the sciences. Since Fall 2002, speakers of national and international renown has been invited to spend a day at Montclair State University meeting with faculty and students, guest lecturing in a class, and conducting an evening lecture open to the public. Speakers are selected based on the strong interdisciplinary appeal of their area of expertise and recognition in the public eye. Previous lectures are listed below.
Fall 2012: “To Eat or Not to Eat: Leptin and the Biologic Basis of Obesity.” Obesity researcher Jeffrey M. Friedman, MD, PhD, was the featured speaker for the 2012 Margaret and Herman Sokol Science Lecture held at Montclair State University’s Alexander Kasser Theater on October 16 at 8 p.m. A researcher of the molecular mechanisms that regulate food intake and body weight, Friedman is perhaps best known for his genetic studies with mice that led to the identification of leptin, a hormone made by fat tissue, which plays a key role in regulating weight. Streaming Video
Fall 2011: "Persistent Physical and Mental Health Effects in World Trade Center Survivors.” Dr. Steven D. Stellman, Director of Research, World Trade Center Health Registry, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; and Professor of Clinical Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University.
Spring 2011: “Move a Little. Lose a Lot.” James Levine, MD, PhD, Chief of Endocrinology at University Hospital Case Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and the inventor of treadmill desk. Streaming Video
Fall 2010: , “The Arctic in a Warmer World.” Mr. Bob Reiss, bestselling author and journalist. Streaming Video
Fall 2009: “Gravitation: From Galileo to Einstein and Beyond.” Dr. Eugenio Coccia, physicist. Streaming Video
Spring 2009: “The Brain: Creating Science Creating Art.” Presentations by artist Elizabeth Horowitz. Keynote by neuroscientist Nancy Andreasen, Ph.D., MD, Andrew H Woods Chair of Psychiatry, Director of Neuroimaging Research Center and the mental Health Clinical Research Center, The University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. Streaming Video
Spring 2008: “The Environment and Sustainability—the next 100 years.” Moderator:
Mr. Ira Flatow, NPR science correspondent and host of "Talk of the Nation: Science Friday. Panelists: Dr. Michael Oppenheimer, member of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Committee on Climate Change and professor at Princeton; Mr. Andrés Edwards, Founder and president of EduTracks, Ms. Lisa P. Jackson, (former) Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and Mr. Eric Svenson, Vice president of environment, health and safety, PSEG Services Corporation. Streaming Video
Spring 2007: “Genesis:The Scientific Quest for Life’s Origin."Dr. Robert Hazen, research scientist, the Carnegie Institution of Washington's Geophysical Lab. Clarence Robinson Professor of Earth Science, George Mason University. Streaming Video
Fall 2006: “Human Evolution and Progress - How DNA Is Enabling Recovery of the Deep Human Past” Mr. Nicholas Wade, New York Times Science reporter. Streaming Video
Spring 2006: “Chemistry’s Essential Tension: The Same and Not the Same.” Dr. Roald Hoffmann, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry Frank H. T. Rhodes Professor of Humane Letters, Cornell University. Streaming Video
Fall 2005: “Contamination Without Consent: How chemical pollutants in air, food, and water violate human rights.” Dr. Sandra Steingraber, Ecologist
Spring 2005: “Mapping Human History” Mr. Steve Olsen, science journalist 2002 National Book Award nominee. Streaming Video
Fall 2004: “Are We Alone in the Universe?” Dr. Andrew Knoll, paleontologist, astrobiologist Fisher Professor of Natural History, Harvard University. Streaming Video
Spring 2004: “Global Infectious Diseases in the Era of Bioterrorism.” Dr. Rita Colwell, scientist, educator and Past Director of the NSF. Streaming Video
Fall 2003: “The Coming Plague: Emerging Disease and a World Out of Balance.” Ms. Laurie Garrett, medical science journalist.
Spring 2003: “The Elegant Universe” Dr. Brian Greene, string theorist Professor of Physics and Mathematics, Columbia University.
Fall 2002: “Journey Into Wonder: Reflections on a Chemical Boyhood” Dr. Oliver Sacks, neurophysician and author.