The Center for Science Writings at Stevens Institute of Technology presents its annual Green Book Award to Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger for their book, “Break Through: From the Death of Environmentalism to the Politics of Possibility.” A discussion follows with Nordhaus, Shellenberger, and special guest, New York Times reporter, Andrew C. Revkin.

Gary Taubes, an award-winning writer for Science, the New York Times Magazine and other publications, came to Stevens to discuss his controversial new bestseller, Good Calories, Bad Calories which argues that much of what we have been told about the relationship between body weight, diet and exercise is wrong.

Steven Pinker, Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, is one of the world’s most renowned experimental psychologists. Delving into the realms of language and human cognition, Pinker has authored seven books, including the bestsellers How the Mind Works and The Blank Slate, and The Language Instinct. Pinker came to Stevens on Wednesday, December 12, and covered a range of topics from his new book The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature, including the relationship between fictional writers and cognitive psychologists in describing the human condition, why it would be a bad idea for the Democrats refer to taxes as “membership fees,” and the real meaning behind dirty words.

Hurricanes, Politics, and the Battle over Global Warming. Journalist Chris Mooney, correspondent and blogger for SEED magazine and author of the controversial bestseller The Republican War on Science, discussed Storm World, his fascinating new book on politically fraught research linking global warming and hurricanes such as Katrina at Stevens Institute of Technology.