TH E WO R LD C O MES TO ANDOVER
Dr. Jane Goodall
World-Renowned Primatologist
Jessie Wallner
As she began her April 8 presentation in the full-to-capacity Cochran Chapel, Dr. Jane Goodall speculated, “This is the first time in this lovely chapel that you’ve heard a voice other than a human voice.” To the delight of the crowd, the eminent primatologist then let fly, mimicking the grunts and shrieks that constitute the greeting of a chimpanzee. The audience’s attention never wavered during the 90-minute talk as Goodall shared her personal history, her experiences studying chimpanzees in Tanzania’s Gombe National Park, and her urgent calls to action on behalf of the environment. During her British wartime childhood, Goodall saved up her pocket money to buy an intriguing secondhand book: Tarzan of the Apes (written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, PA Class of 1894). “I fell passionately in love with this glorious lord of the jungle,” Goodall recounted, adding, “What did he do? He married the wrong Jane!” She went on, “This is when my dream began: I will grow up, I will go to Africa, I will live with wild animals, and I will write books about them.” And though, she says, everyone laughed at the very notion, through pluck and determination she ultimately proved the doubters wrong. The presentation was sponsored by Joe Tatelbaum ’78, who was on hand to introduce Goodall. Tatelbaum described his work with Goodall’s Roots & Shoots initiative in China and expressed the hope that Goodall’s visit would “inspire each of us to be our better selves.”
danah boyd
Robert Pinsky
On March 31, danah boyd, noted social media scholar, researcher, and author of It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens, visited campus to speak about the challenges facing young people as they navigate a networked world. She explored some of the major issues raised by social media, including privacy and online cruelty. Her visit also included a lunchtime conversation with students.
The Jewish Student Union kicked off Jewish Cultural Weekend January 29 by sponsoring a talk, titled “Jewish Imagination,” by acclaimed poet, essayist, literary critic, and translator Robert Pinsky. A professor in the English department at Boston University and former U.S. poet laureate, Pinsky is the author of 19 books, most of which are collections of his poetry.
Social Media Scholar
Stephen Prothero
Religious Studies Professor On February 5, Dr. Stephen Prothero, author, commentator, and professor of religion at Boston University, addressed the PA community in a talk called “Religious Literacy and Religious Diversity: How to Talk (and Think) about the ‘R’ Word in Public.”
Katarina Wong Artist
As part of World Interfaith Harmony Week, award-winning Cuban-Chinese-American artist Katarina Wong visited campus February 3 to present a talk called “Cuba, China, and the World Between.” The event was part of an interfaith awareness initiative sponsored by several organizations on campus.
Poet
Roxane Gay Author
Editor, professor, blogger, and author Roxane Gay received wide acclaim for her 2014 debut novel, An Untamed State. In her work and her March 24 talk on campus, Gay discussed the multiplicity of identities and themes in pop culture.
Moustafa Bayoumi Author
The war on terror and the presidential election were among the topics addressed by Moustafa Bayoumi, author of This Muslim American Life, during his March 31 visit to PA. An English professor at Brooklyn College, Bayoumi is also author of the critically acclaimed How Does It Feel to Be a Problem? Being Young and Arab in America.
Andover | Summer 2016
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