The Center for Science Writings
About the Center for Science Writings
Launched in 2005, the Center for Science Writings (CSW) hosts talks by authors of books on pressing science-related issues, from climate change to mental illness. Speakers—be they scientists, humanities scholars or journalists—deliver free, public lectures each and every semester.
The CSW is part of the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences.
The founder and director of the CSW is veteran science journalist John Horgan, author of the bestseller “The End of Science” and other books. A long-time writer for Scientific American, he also comments on science-related issues on his website
Upcoming Talks
The Center for Science Writings has scheduled two talks for Fall 2024.
How Ancient Females Shaped Modern Humans.
Wednesday, October 16, 4-5 pm EST, via Zoom.
Cat Bohannon, who earned a Ph.D. in cognition and narrative from Columbia, will discuss her bestseller “Eve.” The book overturns old male-centric evolutionary narratives and reveals, as the subtitle puts it, “How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution.” The NY Times calls “Eve” “engaging, playful, erudite, discursive and rich with detail.”
Beyond the Gene.
Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2-3 pm EST, via Zoom.
Acclaimed science writer Philip Ball will discuss his book “How Life Works: A User’s Guide to the New Biology,” which explores scientific challenges to gene-centric biology and argues for a bold new vision of life. Bestselling author Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD, says Ball’s book “has exciting implications for the future of biology. I could not put it down."
Faculty Interviews
John Horgan also carries out Zoom interviews with HASS colleagues to learn more about their research and publications.
Recent interviews featured science historian Samantha Muka, author of “Oceans Under Glass”; philosopher Gregory Morgan, author of “Cancer Virus Hunters”; and philosopher Michael Steinmann, author of “Reframing Ethics Through Dialectics.”
Past Speakers
Past speakers at the Center for Science writings include world-renowned intellectuals: neurologist Oliver Sacks; psychologist Steven Pinker; historian Naomi Oreskes; philosophers Martha Nussbaum and Kwame Anthony Appiah; geographer Jared Diamond; biologist Edward O. Wilson; oceanographer Sylvia Earle; economist Jeffrey Sachs; risk analyst Nassim Nicholas Taleb; physicist Sabine Hossenfelder; and social activist Naomi Klein.
Note to Students
A note to Stevens freshmen taking introductory engineering courses: be sure to talk to your professors about the Center for Science Writings, as many grant credit for attending select events.
Contact
For more information about the Center for Science Writings, contact John Horgan at [email protected].