Past Events

Join Peabody and Emmy-award winning journalist Dan Rather, and Boston Public Library President David Leonard, for a virtual conversation about Rather's new book, "Rather Outspoken," and insights gleaned from Rather's extraordinary career in news reporting. With a famed and storied career that has spanned more than six decades, Dan Rather brings his unique perspective to world events and the major issues of our time. His vast knowledge of subjects ranging from politics, government, world affairs, the economy and the state of the media, to reflections on our national character, the importance of the common good, citizenship and the most provocative issues making headlines today. He reflects on select aspects of these during his talk. This conversation is free to the public.

Explore whether the rigorous peer review process – a process that has traditionally safeguarded information quality control – can compete in a media ecosystem riddled with fast-paced health misinformation and dangerous speculation. Panelists discuss the flurry of preprints and the limitations of correcting the record after an article has hit the mainstream. The panel also offers insight into how scientific communities are wrestling with new uncertainties and heightened public visibility, while forging new pathways for curating knowledge amidst the infodemic. This talk is part of the [Big, If True](http://forum-network.org/series/big-if-true-series-tech-pandemic/) webinar series hosted by Joan Donovan, Ph.D., who heads up the[ Technology and Social Change Research Project (TaSC)](http://shorensteincenter.org/about-us/areas-of-focus/technology-social-change/) at Harvard University’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy. Image: Pexels.com

International economist Daniel Susskind sits down to discuss his latest book, "A World Without Work: Technology, Automation and How We Should Respond." Daniel was a policy adviser for the British prime minister's strategy unit and a senior adviser in the Cabinet office of the British government. He is joined by Vikram Mansharamani, author of "Think for Yourself: Restoring Common Sense in an Age of Experts and Artificial Intelligence." Vikram is a global trend-watcher and writer who is currently lecturing at Harvard University. Mary Stack, director of Cambridge Forum, moderates the discussion.

The ongoing coronavirus outbreak has changed everything—from how we work to how we view our elected officials. David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, shares polling data on public sentiment from his recent surveys conducted in Massachusetts and across the country. Learn how Bay Staters and Americans in general are handling the pandemic, and what they think our new normal might look like. Panelists discuss the political implications of the pandemic as well as the big hurdles in our shared recovery, from voting to concert-going to riding the T. Joe Mathieu, anchor and executive editor for WGBH's Morning Edition moderates the discussion. Image: Pixabay.com

African Americans are overrepresented in the lowest-paying jobs and have also seen the lowest wage growth compared to other groups of Americans. In Boston, the median net worth of an African American, is $8. The COVID-19 pandemic has once again put a spotlight on the racial and wealth divide that exists in the African American Community. As part of the "Race in the Public Dialogues Series” a panel including Michael Curry, Esq., Deputy CEO & General Counsel of The Mass League of Community Health Centers and current member of the National NAACP Board of Directors, Malia Lazu, Chief Experience and Culture Officer & Regional President of Berkshire Bank and Segun Idowu, Executive Director of the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts (BECMA) discuss the current situation. Image: Event Graphics

Award-winning Journalist Libby Copeland will discuss her book, _The Lost Family: How DNA Testing is Upending Who We Are_, which explores the science of DNA while tracing the story of one woman – her unusual results and relentless, methodical drive for answers about her background. Listen to this thoroughly modern genetic detective story, a deeply reported look at the rise of home genetic testing, and the seismic shock it has had on individual lives irrevocably changed by home DNA tests. Moderated by Amy Dockser Marcus, a staff reporter for _The Wall Street Journal_ covering health and science. This talk is part of the virtual author event series American Stories, Inspiration Today.

WGBH BostonTalks hosts a virtual discussion on how to maintain our health when working and learning from home. During the broadcast, learn from a psychologist, a fitness trainer, and two professionals from "The Rising Workplace" focused on helping companies build ergonomical spaces. These speakers talk with Edgar B. Herwick III, host of WGBH's Curiosity Desk, to address multiple aspects of personal health and self-care. Image: Pexels.com

Dive into the promises and perils of communicating science to public audiences. While trust in our politicians and the press has waned in recent years, trust in scientists has remained remarkably steady. However, as we chart out new uncertainties and complex facts and figures in a pandemic, we wonder: is trust in science eroding? How are science journalists and educators dispelling misinformation and tempering fear? Why don’t facts go viral on social media? And, what resources and platforms can help marshal facts and good science? Jane Hu, a regular contributor to Slate’s [Future Tense](https://slate.com/technology/future-tense) , Mitchell Moffit and Gregory Brown, co-creators of the YouTube channel [AsapSCIENCE](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC552Sd-3nyi_tk2BudLUzA) , join Joan Donovan to discuss the role of science communication in helping the general public steer a safe course against pseudoscience and misinformation. Image: [Creative Commons](https://www.peakpx.com/563861/clear-test-tubes)

Social distancing has been especially hard on humans, as social animals we are wired for connection. But the coronavirus pandemic didn’t cause the isolation issue it just exacerbated it. In 2018, 28% of adult households in the U.S. were single person households and 63% of the adult population remained unmarried. But we are not happier, over 35% of adult Americans report themselves to be chronically lonely, up from 20% in 1990. J. W. Freiberg’s latest book _Surrounded by Others and Yet So Alone_ looks at the problem of chronic loneliness through his unique lens as a social psychologist (PhD, UCLA) turned lawyer (JD, Harvard). His case studies are infused with the latest brain science which reveals that loneliness is actually a sensation, like hunger or thirst, not an emotion like anger, which we can talk ourselves out of. So how do we surmount this current crisis and help to create healthy connections going forward, in our own lives and in the lives of our children? Image: Book Cover

Author Stephen Puleo shares tales from his book, "Voyage of Mercy: The USS Jamestown, the Irish Famine, and the Remarkable Story of America's First Humanitarian Mission."