This spring has been an exciting semester, full of “we are back!” activities. The new Weatherhead Research Clusters are crackling with energy, and we also held our first in-person Jodidi and Manshel endowed lectures since before the pandemic. Our International Book Blitz returned in person, highlighting books published recently by Weatherhead Center Faculty Associates. Last but not least, congratulations to all our graduating students! Quite an accomplishment, especially after more than two years of pandemic restrictions on their studies.
Our Jodidi Lecture speaker this spring was Dr. Larry Brilliant, an American physician, epidemiologist, technologist, and philanthropist. Dr. Brilliant spoke movingly about figures who inspired and taught him to fight for change in his long career in global health, from the Smallpox Eradication Program in the 1970s to curing blindness through the Seva Foundation, which he cofounded. In the fascinating conversation that followed, he shared his views on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the strengths and weaknesses of the WHO, the “lab leak” theory, and the connection between science and faith. I invite you to read our feature, “Insight from Larry Brilliant,” to glean words of wisdom he shared with us during his lecture. You can also watch the full session on our new YouTube channel.
The 2023 International Book Blitz took place on April 3 at the Fisher Family Commons, where eight Weatherhead Center faculty authors presented their recently published books in a café-style setting. Each author gave a seven-minute “speed talk” about their book, launching us into compelling issues from around the world—including nuclear disasters, climate transitions, and refugee education, to name a few themes.
The Weatherhead Forum continues in fully remote format, which allows us to speak to audiences from around the world on urgent topics in world affairs. On April 12, we convened a forum on “The War in Ukraine: How Does It End?” where four experts attempted to peer into the future of this prolonged conflict.
We closed the semester with a terrific Manshel Lecture by Gina McCarthy, the first-ever White House national climate advisor and former US EPA administrator. McCarthy offered an optimistic assessment of the transition to clean energy underway in the US, saying recent federal action has put climate progress “on solid ground” in states led by Republicans as well as Democrats. “It is a moment of hope and certainty,” McCarthy said. “But it still requires that we fight like hell every single day to say, ‘This is good, but what’s next? This is good, but we need to do more. This is good, but our future is still at stake.’” She called for further youth activism to keep the pressure on society to move toward clean energy sources.
We also continued this spring with our efforts to promote equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging at the Center. The FAS Division of Social Sciences conducted an anonymous survey of our community members and shared the results with us. Respondents gave the Weatherhead community good grades (75 percent or higher) for the following topic areas: Inclusion and Belonging, Interpersonal Justice, Diversity, and Communication & Civil Discourse. We still have room for improvement in the areas of Incivility and Accountability for Wrongdoing. I hope you will join me in making the Center a great place for everyone to work.
Finally, I am pleased to report that on July 1, I will pass the director’s baton back to Melani Cammett as she returns from research leave. It was a real privilege to serve as the Center’s acting director this year and work even more closely than usual with our amazing staff. So thank you, Melani, for this opportunity. I will, of course, continue to serve as the Center’s director of Graduate Student Programs and look forward to being part of this wonderful community for years to come.
Erez Manela
Acting Center Director