Clarkson University will kick off the start of the 2018-2019 academic year with its annual Convocation.
This year, three faculty members will deliver the Van Sickle Endowed Lecture at Convocation. The free event begins at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 26, in Cheel Arena and is open to the entire Clarkson community.
The speakers will be introduced by Michelle Crimi, professor, and director of engineering and management at Clarkson. The speakers will consist of Stephanie Schuckers, Paynter-Krigman endowed professor in engineering science and director of the center for identification technology research (CITeR); Joe Skufca, professor and chair of mathematics; and Stephen Bird, associate professor of political science. The topics covered by the speakers will directly relate to Clarkson’s Common Book for 2018, Pandora’s Lab: Seven Stories of Science Gone Wrong, by Paul A. Offit, M.D.
Summary of Pandora’s Lab: Seven Stories of Science Gone Wrong
What happens when ideas presented as science lead us in the wrong direction?
History is filled with brilliant ideas that gave rise to disaster, and this book explores the most fascinating—and significant—missteps: from opium’s heyday as the pain reliever of choice to recognition of opioids as a major cause of death in the U.S.; from the rise of trans fats as the golden ingredient for tastier, cheaper food to the heart disease epidemic that followed; and from the cries to ban DDT for the sake of the environment to an epidemic-level rise in world malaria.
These are today’s sins of science—as deplorable as mistaken past ideas about advocating racial purity or using lobotomies as a cure for mental illness. These unwitting errors add up to seven lessons both cautionary and profound, narrated by renowned author and speaker Paul A. Offit. Offit uses these lessons to investigate how we can separate good science from bad, using some of today’s most controversial creations—e-cigarettes, GMOs, drug treatments for ADHD—as case studies. For every “Aha!” moment that should have been an “Oh no,” this book is an engrossing account of how science has been misused disastrously—and how we can learn to use its power for good.
The Kenneth J. and Irla Van Sickle Endowed Lectureship was established in 1992 through generous bequests from the estates of Kenneth and Irla Van Sickle of Shortsville, N.Y. The Van Sickles shared interests in photography, gardening, nature and stamp collecting. During their long and active lives, the Van Sickles were dedicated to hard work, placing great value on education, particularly higher education.
Clarkson University educates the leaders of the global economy. One in five alumni already leads as an owner, CEO, VP or equivalent senior executive of a company. With its main campus located in Potsdam, N.Y., and additional graduate program and research facilities in the New York Capital Region, Beacon, N.Y., and New York City, Clarkson is a nationally recognized research university with signature areas of academic excellence and research directed toward the world’s pressing issues. Through more than 50 rigorous programs of study in engineering, business, arts, education, sciences and the health professions, the entire learning-living community spans boundaries across disciplines, nations, and cultures to build powers of observation, challenge the status quo, and connect discovery and innovation with enterprise.