Boston College Front Row

Francis Collins, former director of the National Human Genome Research Institute and author of lt;igt;The Language of Godlt;/igt; (Free Press, 2006), led the successful effort to complete the Human Genome Project, a complex multidisciplinary scientific enterprise that identified the genes in human DNA and determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs of which it is composed.

The Clough Colloquium Series recognizes individuals who have made important contributions as ethical leaders in their fields, and organizes symposia, conferences and public events in which they share what they have learned on their journey to becoming leaders.

Francis Collins, former director of the National Human Genome Research Institute and author of lt;igt;The Language of Godlt;/igt; (Free Press, 2006), led the successful effort to complete the Human Genome Project, a complex multidisciplinary scientific enterprise that identified the genes in human DNA and determine the sequences of the 3 billion chemical base pairs of which it is composed.

The Clough Colloquium Series recognizes individuals who have made important contributions as ethical leaders in their fields, and organizes symposia, conferences and public events in which they share what they have learned on their journey to becoming leaders.

“One Nation Under God? The Role of Religion in American Life” was the theme of a daylong symposium on November 22, 2008, sponsored by the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities and hosted by Boston College. The third session was titled “Religion, Morality, and the Law,” with panelists Stephen Carter of Yale Law School; Daniel C. Dennett of Tufts University; Jean Bethke Elshtain of the University of Chicago; Susannah Heschel of Dartmouth College; and Michael J. Sandel, moderator, of Harvard University.

The session is introduced by Ben Birnbaum, special assistant to the president of Boston College and editor of Boston College Magazine.

“One Nation Under God? The Role of Religion in American Life” was the theme of a daylong symposium on November 22, 2008, sponsored by the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities and hosted by Boston College. The second session was titled “Religion and Electoral Politics,” with panelists Bishop Harry Jackson Jr. of the Hope Christian Church, Washington, D.C.; Amy Sullivan, national correspondent of Time magazine; Steven Waldman of Beliefnet.com; and Hanna Rosin, moderator, author of Gods Harvard: A Christian College on a Mission to Save America (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2007).

The panel is introduced by Cullen Murphy, editor-at-large of Vanity Fair and author of Are We Rome? The Fall of an Empire and the Fate of America (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2007).

“One Nation Under God? The Role of Religion in American Life” was the theme of a daylong symposium on November 22, 2008, sponsored by the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities and hosted by Boston College. The first session was titled “How Religion Shapes American Culture,” with panelists Mark Lilla of Columbia University; Jon Meachum, editor of Newsweek; Peter J. Paris of the Princeton Theological Seminary; Margaret OBrien Steinfels of Fordham University; and Alan Wolfe, moderator, director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life.

Prior to the panel discussion, three speakers offer a welcome to the symposium: Boston College President William P. Leahy, S.J.; John Burgess, chair of the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities Board of Directors; and David Tebaldi, the foundations executive director.

Patricia Doherty, director of the Universitys Institute for Scientific Research, discusses the impact of solar events and solar wind on terrestrial weather.

Junot Díazs The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Riverhead, 2007) was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2008. Before reading selections from two short stories, he offers informal remarks on his days as a student and the U.S. presidential debates.

“Serving the Children of Boston Through Partnership” was the theme of the ninth annual Lynch School of Education Symposium Series at which Boston Superintendent of Schools Carol Johnson was keynote speaker. She was introduced by Lynch School Dean Joseph OKeefe, S.J. Followng her talk, responses were offered by Lynch School Professors Maria Estela Brisk and Mary Walsh and by Catherine Wong, director of Urban Outreach Initiatives at the Lynch School.

What Happened at Vatican II (Belknap, 2008) by John OMalley, S.J., is the topic of a discussion presented by the Jesuit Institute. The speakers are Mark Burrows of the Andover Newton Theological School, Massimo Faggioli, a visiting fellow at the Jesuit Institute, Stephen Schloesser of the history department, and moderator Franco Mormando, an associate professor of Italian.

Panelists present three perspectives on the World Trade Organizations apparent failure to achieve agreement at last summers “Doha Round.” They focus on the implications for the poor in developing countries. The speakers are James Anderson, who holds the economics departments William B. Neenan, SJ, Millenium Chair; David Deese, associate professor of political science; and Frank Garcia, professor at the Law School.