Jemison and Goodall are among spring's professors-at-large
By Franklin Crawford
Physician and former astronaut Mae Jemison and
renowned primatologist Jane Goodall are among an
interdisciplinary cast of Andrew D. White Professors-at-Large who
will give public talks during their visits to Cornell in March
and April. Others professor-at-large visitors will include:
environmental expert Jules Pretty, reproductive biologist
Roger Short and former Bosnian Prime Minister Haris Silajdzic.
The following list offers the dates of visits and
some information on established public lectures. Further
information will appear in the Cornell Chronicle calendar,
or contact Gerri Jones, administrator of the Program for
Professors-at-Large, at 255-0832 or gaj1@cornell.edu:
- Jules Pretty, March 4-14: Pretty is a worldwide
leader in the field of sustainable development and director of
the Centre for Environment and Society at the University
of Essex, England. He is the author of the upcoming
book Agri-Culture: Communities Reshaping Land and
Nature. During his visit, Pretty will give four free public lectures
-- the first is Thursday, March 7, at 4 p.m. in the
Biotechnology Building -- and he will participate in a seminar on
water quality, meet with Cornell Participatory Action
Research Network members, serve as consultant to a Rural
Livelihoods and Biological Resources workshop and meet
with student residents of the Ecology House. In addition,
Pretty will meet with students in the classes Education 685
and Nutritional Science 651.
- Roger Short, March 7-19: The author of
Reproduction in Mammals and Ever Since Adam and
Eve is a reproductive physiologist by training, currently a
Wexler Professorial Fellow in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at
the Royal Women's Hospital, University of Melbourne,
Australia. Over the past four decades, his research in the field
of human and animal reproduction has significantly
influenced the world's knowledge of: mother-fetal interactions;
comparative pregnancy and sexual behavior of animals;
human fertility and contraception; global overpopulation and
societal issues; and the sexual transmission of AIDS.
- Mae Jemison, March 25-April 4: A former
astronaut, the professor of environmental studies at Dartmouth
College will give a public lecture March 26 at 7:30 p.m.
in Statler Auditorium. The event is free and open to the
public, but tickets will be required. Jemison, Cornell M.D. '81,
flew aboard the space shuttle Endeavor in 1992 as the
science mission specialist on an eight-day flight that was a
joint venture between the United States and Japan. In
1993, Jemison left NASA to start her own company, The
Jemison Group, which researches, develops and markets
advanced technologies for developing countries with a special
emphasis on technology and sustainable development. Her
organization also sponsors the International Science Camp,
"The Earth We Share," an experiential residential program
for youth designed to build critical thinking and problem
solving skills and science literacy. Jemison was inducted into
the Women's Hall of Fame in 1993 and selected by the
White House Project in 1998 as one of 20 women with
the possibility of becoming U.S. President.
- Haris Silajdzic, April 11-18: Co-chair of the
Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
and former Prime Minister of Bosnia. Silajdzic first
gained international recognition between 1992 and 1995, when
he helped publicize the war and devastation taking place in
his country. He alerted the world community to the plight of
the civilian population that was suffering under attacks
in which the most fundamental human rights were violated.
He engaged in negotiations with governments all over
the world to open doors for almost 2 million refugees
leaving Bosnia to escape terror and death. In March 1994 he
headed the government's delegation in negotiations that ended successfully in the
Washington agreement, creation of the Federation
of Bosnia and Herzegovina and an end to fighting between Croat and government
forces. A former professor at the universities of Pristina and Sarajevo, Silajdzic is a
specialist on American-Albania relations, Islamic language and culture, and international
relations in the Middle East.
- Jane Goodall, April 16-19:
Scientific director of the Gombe Wildlife Research Institute in Tanzania, Goodall is
widely recognized as the world's most
distinguished primatologist. She has gained
international recognition both as a scholar who has
pushed forward the frontiers of knowledge and as a speaker who has the ability to
communicate and to excite lay audiences and
generations of students, as well. Her research at
Gombe, the longest continuous field study of animals ever undertaken, has changed
significantly our views on the life and behavior
of chimpanzees. In recent years, she increasingly also has focused her work on
the humane care of captive primates, conservation and educating young people about
environmental issues through her Roots and Shoots program.