Walker L. Cisler Lecturers Archive

2009    Dr. Eric J. Heller
                  Professor of Physics and Chemistry, Harvard University
2008    John Noble Wilford
                  Science News Reporter, New York Times
2007    Dr. Alan Dale Poling
                Professor of Psychology, Western Michigan University
2006    Dr. L. Dennis Smith
                 Former President, University of Nebraska (1994-2004)
2005    Dr. Robert Devaney
               Professor of Mathematics, Boston University
2004    Dr. Ursula Goodenough
                 Professor of Biology, Washington University
2003    Dr. Isabel Hawkins
                 Director, Center for Science Education, University of California
                 Berkeley Space Sciences Laboratory
2002    Dr. Dudley R. Herschbach
                 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 1986
                 Frank B. Baird, Jr., Professor of Science, Harvard University
2001    Dr. Francisco Ayala
                 Donald Bren Professor of Biological Sciences and Professor of
                 Philosophy, University of California, Irvine
1999    Dr. Rodger W. Bybee
                Executive Director, Center for Science, Mathematics, and
                 Engineering Education, National Research Council
1997    Dr. Lillian C. McDermott
                Professor of Physics, University of Washington
1996     Dr. Uri Treisman
                MacArthur Fellow
                 Director, Charles A. Dana Center, University of Texas at Austin
1995     Dr. Leon M. Lederman
               Nobel Prize in Physics for 1988
                Director Emeritus, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory

	2009 - Dr. Eric J. Heller Heller has made groundbreaking theoretical contributions in quantum dynamics, spectroscopy, semiclassical approximations, and condensed matter physics. He is perhaps best known for his seminal work on the time-domain wavepacket approach to molecular spectroscopy, and on the quantum mechanics of classically chaotic systems. More recently Heller has used his deep understanding of quantum mechanics to explain fascinating coherence effects in quantum corrals and quantum dots, as well as the beautiful "branched and fringed electron flow" in semiconductor heterostructures, discovered experimentally by Bob Westervelt's group at Harvard.

	2008 - John Noble Wilford Since joining the New York Times as a science news reporter in 1965, Wilford has committed to sharing this informed wonder with his readers. As a journalist, he has covered cutting-edge technology and scientific breakthroughs, including space exploration, but also has witnessed the tragic consequences of such endeavors, like the Challenger space shuttle explosion. Throughout his career, Wilford has gained not only an appreciation for science and technology, but a curiosity.

	2007 - Dr. Alan Dale Poling Dr. Poling is a member of the behavior analysis program and director of the behavioral pharmacology laboratory at Western Michigan University. He has been a member of the WMU faculty in the Department of Psychology since 1977 and served as interim associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from February 2003-February 2004. His primary research interests are psychopharmacology and behavior analysis, and his work has been supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Education. He was named a WMU Distinguished Faculty Scholar in 1996. Poling earned his bachelor's degree from Alderson-Broaddus College in 1972, his master's degree from West Virginia University in 1974 and his doctoral degree from the University of Minnesota in 1977. Poling replaced Dr. Jay Wood, whose appointment as associate vice president for academic affairs was also approved by the board Feb. 27.

	2006 - Dr. L. Dennis Smith Dr. Smith served at Indiana University, Purdue University, Woods Hole Marine Biology Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, University of California at Irvine, and as president of the University of Nebraska (1994–2004). Among his awards are a Guggenheim Fellowship (1987) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science Scientific Freedom and Responsibility Award (2002). In a talk entitled, "The Science, Promise, and Politics of Embryonic Stem Cell Research," Dr. Smith shared his experiences as a very visible participant in public discussions about medical necessity, academic freedom, the ethics of using embryonic stem cells, public funding, and related issues. He also talked about the necessity of finding formal ways to involve the larger society in developing guidelines for the ethical conduct of future biomedical research.

	2005 - Dr. Robert Devaney Professor of mathematics at Boston University and an expert in dynamical systems theory, Dr. Devaney received the Award for Distinguished University Teaching from the Northeastern section of the Mathematical Association of America in 1994. He produced the Mandelbrot Set Explorer, an online, interactive series of explorations designed to teach students at all levels about the mathematics behind the interesting images known as the Mandelbrot and Julia sets. In his lecture entitled "Chaos Games and Fractal Images" he described the beautiful images that arise from the “chaos game” and showed how the simple steps of this game produce the intricate images known as fractals. He also touched on the applications of this technique used in data compression as well as in Hollywood.

	2004 - Dr. Ursula Goodenough Dr. Ursula Goodenough is a renowned cell biologist, researcher and author who shared experiences of her travels in Tibet where she taught cell biology to exiled Tibetan monks that had no previous scientific education. Just prior to this, she had accepted an invitation to teach the Dalai Lama the principles of molecular evolution. She spoke of these experiences and how they resonated with her own deeply held beliefs about the relationship between spirituality and science. These experiences strengthened her conviction that the best way to teach science is through narrative - telling the science in story, a method she very effectively illustrated in this lecture.

	2003 - Dr. Isabel Hawkins Dr. Isabel Hawkins, Director of the Center for Science Education at the University of California, Berkley, Space Sciences Laboratory (SSL). Through examples of education and outreach programs with which she is actively involved, she shared her research experiences which ultimately led to a better understanding of the effects of the active sun, the sun-earth connection and "space weather".

	2002 - Dr. Dudley Herschbach Dr. Herschbach’s lecture was modeled around his reflections in teaching and learning science. He was a charismatic speaker who emphasized the critical role that individual teachers played in his education. Dr. Herschbach is renowned for his studies on energy redistribution and its exchange in chemical reactions.

	2001 - Dr. Francisco J. Ayala Dr. Ayala, a world-renowned molecular geneticist and former priest, gave a fascinating talk to reveal how teachings in both evolution and religion can exist harmoniously. He is extremely emphatic about promoting the philosophical compatibility of scientific knowledge and methods and religious faith and has been described as the Renaissance man of evolutionary biology.

	1999 - Dr. Rodger W. Bybee Dr. Bybee has been active in education for more than 30 years and has received awards for Leader of American Education and Outstanding Educator in America. Previously he served as principal investigator for several National Science Foundation (NSF) programs implemented in elementary, middle and high schools. His talk addressed how to effectively achieve scientific literacy and the challenges of content for the school curriculum.

	1997 – Dr. Lillian C. McDermott Dr. McDermott is a recipient of the American Association of Physics Teachers’ Robert A. Millikan Lecture Award for “notable and creative contributions to the teaching of physics.” Under her direction, the Physics Education Group at the University of Washington conducted research on the learning and teaching of physics. In her lecture, she used examples from this research to illustrate the frequent mismatch between how science is taught and how students learn.

	1996 - Dr. Uri Treisman Dr. Treisman, a MacArthur Fellow and Dana Award winner gave a talk on how schools at all levels can create the conditions for mathematics and science excellence in diverse student populations. His talk grew out of the highly successful programs he developed to improve minority achievement in mathematics and the sciences and described the special role that faculty members play in these programs.

	1995 - Dr. Leon Lederman Dr. Leon Lederman was LTU's inaugural Walker Cisler lecturer in 1995. Although he was awarded the 1988 Nobel Prize for his work in physics, his talk was based on his pioneering work in reforming science education in the Chicago schools. He presented his vision of new ways to teach science to a rapt audience.

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