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Distinguished Voices Lecture Series

Thank you for your interest in our Distinguished Voices Lecture Series. We are currently working on the 2021-2022 schedule, please check back at a later date for the full schedule. If you have any questions about the lecture series, please contact Lauren Giliberto at l.giliberto@unf.edu or (904) 620-4334.

 

For information about other campus events, please search in the online calendar of events or go to Cultural Events.


 

 2021-2022 Schedule 

 

R. David Edelman headshot

“The Next Decade: Tech Trends and Innovations Shaping Our Future”
R. David Edelman

Monday, September 27, 2021
TBD at the Herbert University Center

e-Tickets will be available on Tuesday, September 7, 2021

R. David Edelman - MIT Scholar, Presidential Advisor and Leading Technologist 

 

R. David Edelman is one of the nation's foremost authorities on how new innovations are changing life and business around the globe. Dubbed the nation’s “Chief Cyber Diplomat,” his insights on issues like artificial intelligence (A.I.), cybersecurity, data ethics, and the geopolitics of technology have shaped national and international policy at the highest levels.

Dr. Edelman served in the Bush and Obama Administrations, rising to become the youngest ­ever Director named to the U.S. National Security Council. As Special Assistant to the President, he led the White House economic team’s work on technology, media, and telecom policy. He currently teaches at MIT and leads its Project on Technology, the Economy, & National Security.

Prior to his time at the White House, Edelman served at the State Department’s Office of Cyber Affairs, and as the United States’ lead negotiator on Internet issues at the United Nations, where he received the Department’s Superior Honor Award and twice received its Meritorious Honor Award. He was named one of Forbes’ “30 Under 30” leaders in Law & Policy.

He holds a B.A. from Yale University in History, and a Master’s and Doctorate in International Relations at Oxford University. His groundbreaking dissertation, “Cyberattacks in International Relations,” examined which forces might restrain state use of cyberattacks. 

 

 

 

scaparrotti_curtis (002)

“The Asia-Pacific Arena: Is the U.S. Bluffing?”
General Curtis M. Scaparrotti, USA (Ret.)

Tuesday, November 16, 2021
TBD at the Herbert University Center

e-Tickets will be available on Monday, November 1, 2021

 

 General Curtis M. Scaparrotti, USA (Ret.) - Supreme Allied Commander, Europe (2016 – 2019); Commander, U.S. European Command (2016 – 2019) and Commander, U.S. Forces Korea (2013 – 2016)    

 

 In 2019, General Curtis “Mike” Scaparrotti completed a distinguished 41-year career in the US Army as the Commander, US European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, NATO. As the NATO Commander, General Scaparrotti worked to preserve the security and stability of the Alliance and strengthen it in the face of traditional and new-age adversaries. He collaborated with the leadership of all 29 NATO member nations, as well as the various NATO partner countries around the world.   

 

Prior to General Scaparrotti’s leadership position at NATO and US European Command, General Scaparrotti served as the Commander of US Forces Korea / United Nations Command / Combined Forces Command in Seoul, South Korea from 2013 to 2016. He has also served as the Director of the Joint Staff, Commander of the International Security Assistance Force, the Deputy Commander of US Forces -Afghanistan, the Commanding General of I Corps and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and the Commanding General of the 82nd Airborne Division.

General Scaparrotti graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1978. His military education includes the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Command and General Staff College, and the US Army War College. Additionally, General Scaparrotti holds a Master’s degree in Administrative Education from the University of South Carolina.


 

Steven E. Koonin

“Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn't, and Why It Matters”
Dr. Steven E. Koonin

Tuesday, January 25, 2022
TBD at the Herbert University Center

e-Tickets will be available on Monday, January 10, 2022

Dr. Steven E. Koonin - University Professor, New York University

 

Dr. Steven E. Koonin is a University Professor at New York University, with appointments in the Stern School
of Business, the Tandon School of Engineering, and the Department of Physics. He founded NYU’s Center
for Urban Science and Progress, which focuses research and education on the acquisition, integration, and analysis of big data for big cities. 

 

Dr. Koonin served as Undersecretary for Science in the US Department of Energy under President Obama from 2009 to 2011, where his portfolio included the climate research program and energy technology strategy. He was the lead author of the US Department of Energy’s Strategic Plan (2011) and the inaugural Department of Energy Quadrennial Technology Review (2011). Before joining the government, Dr. Koonin spent five years as Chief Scientist for BP, researching renewable energy options to move the company “beyond petroleum.”

 

For almost thirty years, Dr. Koonin was a professor of theoretical physics at Caltech. He also served for nine years as Caltech’s Vice President and Provost. He is currently an independent governor of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and has served in similar roles for the Los Alamos, Sandia, Brookhaven, and Argonne National Laboratories. He was a member of Governor Cuomo’s Blue Ribbon Commission to Reimagine New York in the post-COVID-19 era.