The Mediterranean region has experienced dramatic climatic shifts throughout history — from era-defining prehistoric transitions to influential phases of Classical antiquity through to today’s unprecedented warming. This talk examines the ways in which climate change and weather events affected diverse Mediterranean societies, with focus on the Greco-Roman period. It challenges simplistic environmental-determinism narratives, exploring how ecological change impacted the trajectories of ancient societies and what their outcomes might teach us about navigating our current climate crisis.SPEAKERDr. Brandon McDonaldRumsey Family Assistant Professor of Interdisciplinary StudiesTufts University
This talk will focus on the capabilities of modern AI - what led to the capabilities we are seeing, what are some of the big opportunities and challenges in front of us, and how should we think about managing and governing AI in businesses today. The talk will conclude by examining questions about the future of work for humans in the age of AI and offer some recommendations for individuals, business leaders, policy makers and universities in this context.SPEAKERDr. Balaji PadmanabhanProfessor of Decision, Operations & Information TechnologiesUniversity of Maryland
This talk explores a range of moral tales put forth to account for the origin and spread of the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa. These ecological fables told about a virus reveal contested histories, beliefs, fears, values, politics, and rights that have shaped—and continue to shape—access to the natural resources of the Upper Guinean Forests of West Africa in a world increasingly threatened by deforestation, zoonotic disease, biodiversity loss, and climate change.SPEAKERGregg MitmanERC Professor / Emeritus ProfessorRachel Carson Center for Environment and Society, Ludwig Maximilian University / University of Wisconsin-Madison
This short follow-up episode features the audience Q&A from our last session hosted by the FedEx Institute of Technology. After the main talk wrapped, our guest stayed to answer questions and expand on key ideas from the discussion. It’s a quick listen packed with thoughtful insights and fresh perspectives.
Around the globe, springs, ponds and lakes have attracted veneration from prehistory to the present. In Ireland, sacred watery sites known as holy wells are nodes of Biocultural Diversity where culture and biology are interrelated and even co-evolved; that is, where particular ecosystems influence spiritual beliefs and practices, and these traditions help protect and maintain ecosystems, habitats, and also particular flora and fauna employed for curative purposes. This talk examines the sacred topographies of holy wells, biomedical applications of "well cures," and the value of ethnography and citizen science in monitoring environmental change.SPEAKERDr. Celeste RayProfessor and Chair, Anthropology and Director of the Environment Arts & Humanities ProgramThe University of the South SewaneeRecorded: October 23, 2025