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This year, Emily Colbert ’06 and Johanna Reed ’06 put together a wide-ranging program with 12 Think Tank lunches, including one special discussion in October facilitated by the late Dick Couper ’44, Hamilton College Life Trustee and first President and CEO of the NY Public Library. Couper’s discussion “NY Public Library nonpareil” drew such a large audience that lunch moved from its traditional classroom to the Red Pit. Ann Owen, Director of the Levitt Center and Associate Professor of Economics, led the first Think Tank of the academic year with her discussion of “Economic policy and Hurricane Katrina,” followed in October by Andrew Jillings, Adventure Program Director, with an engaging discussion about risk taking and accident theory. Other Fall 2005 Think Tanks included Dennis Gilbert, Professor of Sociology, with a discussion about “Growing inequality in the US”; Yvonne Zylan, Assistant Professor of Sociology, with a thought-provoking discourse titled “Is gay marriage killing the movement for LGB equality? Thoughts from the law/society divide”; and Mark Oakes, Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology, whose topic “Unconscious stereotypes: What are they and how can we measure them?” incorporated audience participation in an informal experiment.

 

Professor of Mathematics Dick Bedient commenced the spring 2006 semester with his visually captivating Think Tank talk on “Mandelbrot and Julia Sets,” followed in February by “Tanks for thinking of me! When people think, and what it means for college” with Professor of Sociology Dan Chambliss. In March, scores of students and community members packed a crowded classroom to participate in Professor of Anthropology Douglas Raybeck’s discussion “You pod, we pod, they pod and Ipod: The social and cultural implications of one of our favorite toys.” Rebecca Murtaugh, Visiting Assistant Professor of Art, led an eye-opening talk on “Contemporary American art in a visual pop culture,” which featured a fascinating slide show of unique and unusual contemporary art. April topics included Jenny Irons, Assistant Professor of Sociology, with “What’s funny?: A sociological discussion of ‘race-y’, ‘sex-y’, and ‘class-y’ humor” and “The curriculum and its discontents: What you can do to change education at Hamilton” with Professor of Comparative Literature Peter Rabinowitz. Our College Chaplain Jeff McArn wrapped up the year with a thoughtful conversation about why we volunteer: “The complexities of service: Why is it so hard to help others?”